Hidden Truths
by PsychicDreams
Summary: A year of fighting is what Sailor Moon has known and she is worried about her beloved, trapped deep in Beryl's lair and guarded day and night by her four Shitennou. One day after Jupiter is put in a near coma and nothing is ever the same for her again.
1. Chapter 01

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

Hidden Truths 

_Chapter 1_

Sailor Moon shook her head to clear it. The hard impact of her body slamming into the pavement had been extremely painful. She glanced up to see what was going on, for she had blacked out for a few minutes, and all she saw were four pairs of legs in front of her. She almost sighed; they were protecting her again. _Like Mamo-chan used to do_, she thought and immediately blinked back tears. She had to be strong; she couldn't break down. 

"Hey, she's awake!" cried a voice. 

The others turned to look at her as Jupiter's voice hit their ears. Mars didn't look so good, having several huge gashes on her arms and legs from Kunzite's boomerangs. Mercury gasped heavily as if she had been dodging constantly for a full hour, which she had been doing when Sailor Moon had been knocked unconscious. 

Jupiter seemed to have taken the brunt of everything since she was burned, cut, and bleeding everywhere, not to mention her fuku was in tatters. Venus had her love-me chain out, doing her hardest to deflect attacks aimed at them. She looked the least for wear. 

They helped her struggle to her feet and she put her gloved hand behind her head to stop the enormous headache she had. When she pulled her hand back, it was covered in blood. She glared up at Jadeite, who had hit her from behind and knocked her out cold.

It had been nearly a year since she had become a Sailor Soldier. A year of constantly waging war against the Dark Kingdom. The youmas had been appearing less and less and in their place, the Shitennou appeared more and more. But this was the first time all four of them were in front of them at the same time. 

Again, she called, "Where is Tuxedo Kamen?"

Zoisite laughed harshly at her. "He is comatose in the Dark Kingdom. You know how to get him back though."

Yes, she knew. All she had to do was give them the Ginzuishou and it would all be over. Lately she had been thinking of doing it more and more, but she wouldn't say anything because either Luna or Mars would beat her around the block for a week for even thinking it. And she knew that was not what he would have wanted. 

"We have to finish this," gasped Mercury. "We won't last much longer if we don't."

"Okay, give Sailor Moon some cover and she'll start using her wand," commanded Venus. "They'll run at the sight of it, but I don't know why. If they are purely evil, like they constantly maintain, it wouldn't hurt them, right?"

"No time for pondering, Venus," Mars said grimly. 

"Ready, Sailor Moon?"

She nodded. 

Venus turned back to the four Shitennou who were watching them with smug looks on their faces. "You won't ever get the Ginzuishou! Now girls!"

"Burning Mandala!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

"Rolling Heart Vibration!"

"Shabon Spray!"

The attacks went full force toward the Kings and Kunzite held up his shield to deflect it. 

Sailor Moon closed her eyes and pulled out her Moon Wand. The unwavering power flowed through her and comforted her sore nerves and the unending ache in her heart, if only for a moment. Holding it up in the air, she twirled, yelling, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

White light burst forth from the gem set in the middle of the golden crescent moon. The Shitennou immediately disappeared as Kunzite's shield broke. However, the light had hit them ever so slightly as they left. 

Cheers broke out and arms hugged the tired Sailor Moon. She was barely awake this night, barely able to make out what her friends were saying.

"We did it!"

"Can you believe it? They were hit with the attack!"

"I wonder what kind of effects it will have on them the next time we meet."

"Guys?"

They turned to look at their red companion. She held Sailor Moon in her arms, who was obviously asleep.

"We need to get her home. She's exhausted."

They nodded and jumped to their friend's home, Jupiter carrying their nearly comatose leader. 

Kunzite cursed as the four of them appeared in the Dark Kingdom. 

"What are you complaining about?" retorted Jadeite to his superior. "You barely got hit, what with that shield you have and all."

The white haired man glared at his friend and looked back down on his shirt. There were gashes in it from a number of the Senshi's attacks, but what bothered him the most was the smoke that came off of his uniform from Sailor Moon's attack.

"She's a damn nuisance," continued Jadeite as he sat gingerly down in the chair. He had a number of burns on his body from the fire one.

"Have you ever noticed how we seem to pair off when we fight them?" asked Nephrite quietly.

Silence met his question.

"Well, Kunzite always fights Venus, Zoisite always fights Mercury, Jadeite always fights Mars, and I always fight Jupiter. Does this pattern signify anything to you?"

"So are you suggesting we switch who we fight with?" asked Zoisite.

At any normal time, Nephrite would have promptly replied yes. But what came out of it was not his normal answer. "No."

They stared at him, as he looked surprised at himself. It was the perfect battle strategy and it would allow them to defeat the Senshi, almost too easily. So why had he said no?

Kunzite looked at the other Shitennou. They were as stunned as he was. "Did the stars say something to you about it?"

Again, his answer was not of the norm. It was as if something in Nephrite had taken him over. "Yes," the strange thing inside him said, his mouth uttering the lie. "I have to make sure about a few things, but I think it would be very dangerous for us to do so."

They shrugged, accepting what he had said as if it was truth. Nephrite couldn't believe himself. What was wrong with him?

"Did everyone get hit with that attack of the princess'?" asked Kunzite.

Jadeite nodded. "Even though you shielded all of us, it still broke. Since you were directly behind it and it was yours, you didn't get hit as much as Zoisite and Nephrite. They were the farthest from the center of the shield. Do you feel all right, Zoisite, Nephrite? Any damage?"

They shook their heads, Nephrite back in control of himself. But he still wondered. He didn't want to mention what had happened to him a few minutes ago to his friends, though, because Beryl had ears everywhere. If she had even a hint of something strange happening to her Kings, then there would be hell to pay. 

"Let's just get some sleep," suggested Zoisite. 

They nodded as they left the room, each passing by a small coffin like thing that held the prince. For some strange reason, today they felt the smallest of twinges as they looked at him. Each hesitated before moving on to their quarters.

When Usagi woke the next morning, it was with none of her usual cheer. Glancing at the clock, it was almost an hour before school started. She turned over away from it, but no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't sleep anymore. Sighing, she got up and went to the closet, pulling out her uniform. When she sat down at the table that morning, she ignored the shocked looks from her family. 

Dark circles ringed her eyes and she was getting thinner. "Are you all right, dear?" asked her mother.

Usagi shrugged and left the house, walking slowly toward school. She just couldn't bring herself to find any energy inside of her. Her heart was not in anything this morning and it was because of the battle last night. Even though her attack had hit the Shitennou, what difference did it make?

"Usagi-chan?" called a voice behind her.

She whirled around, happy. When she saw who it was, she swallowed her disappointment. Naru was a good friend, but she really wanted to see Ami or another Senshi. They just made her feel better in a way that Naru never could, no matter how hard she might try.

"Good morning, Naru-chan," she said soberly.

Naru gave her a strange look as they continued walking. "You're up early, Usagi-chan. Is something wrong?"

She shook her head as they took their seats. For the rest of the day, Usagi ignored the looks from her teacher and the other students. However, when Haruna asked her a question on the homework, she had to admit defeat.

"I don't have the homework, Sensei."

"I don't believe it, Tsukino-san!" she cried, angry. "You can come to school before the bell rings, but you still can't do the homework!"

Unbidden, tears floated in her eyes. How could she reasonably be expected to do the homework when she had been fighting the Dark Kingdom and didn't get home until 5:00 in the morning nearly every night? Tears fell from her eyes, but it was not her usual crying. It was a soft rainfall, stemming from her depression. 

Haruna didn't know what to do. This was not the Usagi she knew. She did not whine loudly, she made it to class on time… "Is there something wrong at home, Tsukino-san?" she asked, kneeling next to the desk.

Usagi shook her head. It wasn't a complete lie. There was a problem at home, but not her family's home. The Moon Kingdom home she had had. The Dark Kingdom destroyed her home beyond recognition and now they were having worse problems with them.

She wiped the tears away from her face as an explosion rocked the building. Haruna fell, losing her balance. The students and her ran to the window, Usagi included, to see what had happened. 

A gasp was wrenched from her throat as the familiar blonde came into view. Jadeite battled fiercely with Mars, ignoring the onlookers. _How could she…Jadeite must have attacked her school and she was able to transform. If only…_

"Ms. Haruna, may I go to the bathroom?"

Her teacher was too busy watching the fight to acknowledge. Usagi slipped out of the classroom, meeting Ami and Makoto as they ran down the hall. "You guys' excuse?" she panted as they ran.

"Bathroom," both said at the same time.

They all ducked into the bathroom, and making sure no one was in the stalls, they called out their henshin phrases.

"Moon Prism Power, Make-up!"

"Jupiter Power, Make-up!"

"Mercury Power, Make-up!"

The Soldiers immediately slipped out of the building toward their friend. 

Mars dodged the blast of dark energy and landed badly on her ankle. She had barely had time to call Minako on the communicator before she had been forced to fight. She only wondered where the other Shitennou were.

"I won't allow you to harm my friend! Stop now!"

They both turned to look at the newcomer. 

"For Love and Justice, I am the Pretty Soldier in a sailor suit, Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"For Love and Wisdom, I am Sailor Mercury!"

"For Love and Strength, I am Sailor Jupiter!"

Jadeite rolled his eyes and a cruel smile flitted on his lips as Sailor Moon's communicator began beeping with a deep urgency. As Mars continued to fight with Jupiter at her side, Moon clicked on the visual.

Venus's face appeared and her tinny voice was harried. "I need help! I'm fighting Kunzite over at my school and I can't hold out much longer."

Mercury gasped as her computer beeped. "It's not just those two. Nephrite and Zoisite are also about, each in a different location! Obviously their strategy is to separate us so we can't have help."

"Mercury, go with Sailor Moon to Zoisite; Jupiter, go fight Nephrite," Mars said forcefully.

"But we can't leave you here by yourself," Moon protested. 

"Go! Inform Venus about what's going on!"

With no choice, the three Soldiers turned and did as the fire Senshi bade.

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 02

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

Hidden Truths Chapter 2 

Jupiter body-slammed into Nephrite's back, shattering his concentration to miniscule pieces. The Senshi used the force of her hit and rolled to her feet in one fluid moment. Nephrite, growling deep in his throat, stood more slowly.

"That is the last time you interrupt me Senshi!" he yelled and held his palm toward her. 

Jupiter dodged the deadly stars and called out a quick Supreme Thunder to distract him. It splashed off a strange shield she didn't know he had. Blinking, she barely had enough time to get out of the way of the next attack. 

"I won't let you hurt any more people!" 

He rolled his eyes. "Spare me."

She charged him and they grappled for twenty minutes before Nephrite decided to get her away from him; his power built quickly into a crescendo inside his body. He certainly would have killed her had not the voice inside himself that he was trying to avoid chose to erupt at that moment. He hesitated and that was all she needed.

Jupiter twirled and did a roundabout kick toward his neck. It sent him sprawling on the ground and she grinned in a satisfactory way. That is, she did until he jumped up faster than she knew he could and grabbed her throat. 

"Like I said, this is the last time you interrupt me, _Senshi_," he whispered, saying the name like a curse. 

With all the force he could muster, he kicked her hard in the stomach. She went flying backward and her head slammed into the post of a streetlamp. The force of it dented the metal post and she was snapped out cold faster than one could blink.

He thrust forward with a sword heading for her heart, mightily suppressing the insistent voice and strange feelings inside of him. 

"Moon Frisbee!"

Hearing the dreaded voice, he jumped to the side to avoid the deadly tiara. Looking back, he saw she was alone, but looking angered to no end. He waited for the usual speech, but it never came. What did come was so completely out of her character that it caused him to pause and stare at her.

"How dare you touch my friend! For that you will pay dearly! Moon Twilight Flash!"

Nephrite threw his arm over his face and disappeared back to the Dark Kingdom. Moon, seeing he was gone, ran to her comatose friend in worry. A moment later, Mercury showed up behind her. 

"Did you take care of your battle?" she asked.

The Water Senshi nodded. "He disappeared a few minutes ago. Let's help Mako-chan."

"Mercury-chan, what are we gonna do about school?" she whispered fearfully.

"We'll say she hit her head on the sink after slipping on the tile."

"And you think they'll BUY that?" asked Mars incredulously as she and Venus appeared, Mars leaning on Venus's shoulder.

Mercury looked sheepish, but shrugged. "What else can we say? She got a concussion because she's a Senshi and was fighting a Dark Kingdom Shitennou to save the Earth from being overrun by youma?"

"She has a point," came Venus's weak voice, none of her usual cheer since she was dead tired and hurting in every inch of her body.

In a few moments, Moon and Mercury had gotten back inside the building and into the bathroom. Mercury, using the added strength of being a Soldier, easily broke off part of the marble sink. They had just detransformed, not a moment too soon, when Usagi's teacher Haruna burst into the room. She let out a relieved breath when she saw the two girls were all right. 

"We need to help Mako-chan," Usagi said quickly. 

Haruna didn't even ask what happened to the girl; it was obvious she had hit her head. The two girls wanted to go with their friend, but their luck had run out. Classes resumed as normal, but no one was talking about schoolwork. It was all about the Senshi and who they had been fighting. Usagi and Ami were glad to leave when the bell rang. It was the one day that Usagi didn't have detention because the thoughts of the Soldiers had completely distracted Haruna from the incomplete homework.

Through the communicator, they were able to find out that Makoto was okay and conscious. Since Rei and Minako were there visiting, both Usagi and Ami agreed to go to the Shrine and update Luna and Artemis on what had happened during the day. 

It was not much hours later when Ami's computer beeped a warning before the street ahead of them exploded as they walked to their respective homes. Apparently the Dark Kingdom had taken advantage of the fact that the strongest Senshi was put out of commission for a while.

Mars and Venus appeared as fast as they could get there and the battle was underway at last after the usual speeches had been said, though there was more anger in the Senshi's voices than normal.

Since Jupiter was not there, Sailor Moon attempted to fight against Nephrite. However, it was not long before she was pinned up against a wall. His hand on her throat, he said menacingly, "Give me the Ginzuishou." The other battles stopped as the Senshi watched in horror and the Kings with smug satisfaction.

"You'll never get it," said a voice from behind the brown haired general. His head whipped around and he immediately suppressed the feelings of happiness, seeing Jupiter was okay even if she was a trifle pale.

Sailor Moon's arm was behind her back and with a small bit of concentration, the moon wand was in her hand. Carefully, so as not to attract his attention, she moved it in front of her chest, pointing the Ginzuishou straight at _his_.

"Don't make a move, Senshi Jupiter, or your princess will die," Jadeite said smugly.

"Moon Healing…" Moon muttered, so low no one but herself heard.

"We'll get the Ginzuishou this time," gloated Kunzite.

"You want the Ginzuishou," Moon said painfully through the unbreakable grip at her throat and Nephrite's gaze snapped to her. "Well, here it is!" His head jerked down at the crystal pointing straight at his heart, but he couldn't move away fast enough as she yelled, "ESCALATION!"

White light filled the street, much more than was the usual amount. It blinded everyone, including Sailor Moon, who besides Nephrite was the closest to the blast.

The Kings immediately disappeared, having come to the conclusion that they could not save their comrade right then. After a promise of redemption, they were gone. When the light was gone as well, the Senshi blinked and watched as Nephrite swayed on his feet. "Endymion…" he whispered. Then his eyes widened and flew back in his head. He was on the ground and out cold within seconds. 

The Senshi cautiously approached him, bending over to get a better look. Sailor Moon nudged his foot with her boot. His eyes fluttered open and he saw a ring of blurry faces above him before he was out again. They all sighed, frustrated. 

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We can't just leave him here," Mercury said. "Not where everyone can find him. Plus we need to question him."

"All right girls, heave," said Jupiter, taking his shoulders and settling them against her chest, wrapping her arms around his upper body. Venus grabbed his feet and the rest grabbed other various parts.

"Watch your hands, get them off his ass!" the green Senshi snapped.

Her friends stared at her. A sweatdrop ran down her face as she wondered, _Where the hell did that come from?_

"Okay, _you're _welcome to grab it then," said Mars testily.

Venus took pity on her friend and said, "Mars, why don't we switch? You get the feet."

They did a quick switch, Venus getting Nephrite's side opposite of Mercury and Moon. They proceeded at a snail's pace until Venus groaned out, "Man, this guy needs to LOSE some WEIGHT."

Jupiter stopped abruptly and barked, "It's not weight, its muscles!"

Venus and Moon exchanged surprised glances. Mars asked slightly snappishly, "Jupiter, is there something you want to tell us?"

Jupiter blushed to the roots of her hair and their process of walking resumed in silence. 

"Guys?" asked Moon in a strained voice. "I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but shouldn't we decide where to take Nephrite before going any further?"

They stopped.

"You know, for once Odango Atama has a point," said Mars.

They looked at Venus. She shook her head. "I can't. My mother checks every room, including the attic, every night. She'll find him."

They looked at Mars. "No way. I have no extra rooms at the moment. Besides, Ojii-chan is going through a major cleaning phase right now."

They looked at Mercury. She blushed. "Well, if it's absolutely necessary I could take him in I suppose. Mother is often at the hospital."

Mars shook her head. "I don't think that is such a good idea. I mean, what if he wakes up and is still a Dark Kingdom Shitennou, assuming he's changed. I don't want Mercury anywhere near him, no offense."

"None taken."

"By the way, Moon," she said, glaring at her leader, "next time you blast a Dark Kingdom Shitennou at point blank range, try not to get him unconscious or at least warn us so we can bring a stretcher or something!"

"I didn't know I needed to!"

"Anyway," Venus interrupted, "Usagi-chan, can you take him in?"

Moon shook her head. "No. If my dad found out I had a guy in my room, he wouldn't be a guy anymore. He'd be dead. The only place we could stash him would be in the small attic upstairs and I think my mom would think something's up if she saw five Sailor Soldiers carrying a heavily comatose stranger into my house."

They looked at Jupiter, who sighed. "All right, he'll stay at my place."

In silence they continued. When they finally reached Makoto's building, Moon let out a breath of relief. Jupiter heaved Nephrite up in her arms a little so she could open the building door.

"Now all we need is the elevaaaa…No way!" Moon cried.

Yes way. They looked toward the elevator doors to find it lined with yellow tape saying it was being renovated for safety.

"What a horrible author contrivance!" Venus yelled.

_Author winks_

"They've been working on it for nearly a week now," Jupiter explained as they headed for the stairs.

Mercury stopped. "Jupe-chan, how many stories is this building?" she asked in trepidation.

"35."

"And what level do you live on?"

"21."

"No way!" cried Venus again and proceeded to shed Usagi-like crocodile tears.

"Come on, he's getting heavier, let's move!" ordered Mars.

She had no sooner said that and began up the stairs when she tripped and landed with her face in Nephrite's knees. He moaned and the Senshi looked at him hopefully. He didn't wake up and they groaned, disappointed. 

Venus moved to help Mars up and took her place at Nephrite's right side again. Up the stairs they went, grumbling all the way. They were gasping when they reached Makoto's apartment and the girl, in Senshi form and in no mood to fumble with the key, kicked backwards and the door burst open, nearly destroying the lock.

The dumped him unceremoniously on the couch. Jupiter went into the kitchen and came back with five cold sodas for them. They were all sweating and shaking. Moon had simply sat on the floor, not bothering with a chair. She didn't even have the energy to whine. Within a few minutes, the other Senshi had drunk their sodas and were out the door, having to get home since it was late night by the time they had gotten Nephrite into Makoto's apartment. 

Jupiter hesitated for a moment before detransforming. She immediately headed for the shower to wash the sweat and tension off. As a precaution, she locked her bedroom door when she went to sleep. 

Her alarm clock blared in her ear and she immediately realized that she was going to be late if she didn't hurry; she had slept through the first two alarms and had pushed the snooze button both times. She dashed about and when she had just grabbed her book bag, she looked back at the couch. Nephrite was still sleeping peacefully.

Makoto frowned. She would have to do something about him before she left. Her mouth falling into a thin line, she headed forward.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 03

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

Hidden Truths 

_Chapter 3_

Usagi and Ami were enjoying a tense lunch beneath two trees that provided a lot of shade when an entirely different shadow fell over them. They looked up sharply, henshin wand immediately in Ami's hand before they recognized who it was.

"Mako-chan?!" exclaimed Usagi, concerned and shocked. 

"Why are you here? You should be at your apartment and watching Nephrite!" Ami scolded gently as she stowed away her henshin wand in her subspace pocket.

Makoto sat down and smiled. "Don't worry about it. He won't get loose."

"Get loose?" the two girls repeated in alarm.

"What do you mean 'get loose', Mako-chan?" asked Ami suspiciously.

"You'll see when you come over to my house after school."

Both girls exchanged glances and immediately sent a message to Luna, who passed it to Artemis, as both cats went to Rei and Minako's schools to inform them of the change in plans. Usagi had complained that they should use the communicators, after all, what else were they there for?, but was rebuffed by Ami, saying it would look suspicious and get the other two in trouble if it started beeping in the middle of class. Usagi had to admit that if Rei got in trouble because of her, she would be a barbequed Moon Princess.

Rei and Minako hurried up to the building, barely catching up with their three friends as they went inside. They frowned at the still not working elevators and went up the stairs again. 

Makoto had initially been amazed that her lock had been unbroken that morning, but hadn't paid it much heed. She'd been late, no matter how hard she had run or how fast. Luckily, since it was the first time she had been late to school, she didn't have detention, only a warning from her teacher.

The other girls gasped when they entered the living room. 

"Uh, Mako-chan?" Rei asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Don't you think you overdid it a bit?" replied Minako.

Makoto looked at the couch where Nephrite lay. His head turned in the direction of the whispers, but couldn't make them out. He couldn't see, since he was blindfolded and couldn't speak since he was gagged. He had rope tied tightly on his hands and wrists. Around that, the rest of his body was wrapped with rope almost like a blanket and yet around that, she had tied his unmovable body to the couch, wrapping a lot of rope around that. All the knots were very tight, she assured them.

"Tight enough to cut off blood flow?" asked Ami sardonically, a rarity for her since she had usually had a lot of equability.

They transformed before walking up to the couch. If Nephrite was still evil then they didn't want him to know who he was dealing with. When Jupiter snatched off the blindfold, chocolate brown eyes stared at her, somewhat irritated, somewhat angry, and somewhat just plain confused. 

He mumbled something.

"What did he say?" asked Moon.

"I don't know," replied Venus.

"How about we take the gag off?" suggested Mars dryly. "That should help his articulation."

Jupiter knelt down in front of him and his eyes followed her every move. She couldn't tell what went on inside his head for his expression was closed off. "You don't make any noise and talk civilly and we're good. Anything other than that, the blindfold and gag goes back on and we beat the living crap out of you, k?"

Nephrite simply stared at her. After a minute of measuring him, she nodded decisively and took off the gag. For a long moment, nothing was said on either side. Finally, a deceptively composed voice asked, "Is there a reason I must be tied as such?"

"You don't know?" replied Mars incredulously.

He favored her with a cool look. 

"I don't think so, Mars," explained Mercury quietly. "I think that when he was blasted with the energy from Sailor Moon's attack, it might have scrambled his memory of the present time a bit. He may not even remember who he is."

"You," called Venus, deciding to test Mercury's theory, "tell us your name."

Nephrite raised an eyebrow. "You truss me up like an animal and you don't even know who I am?" He sighed. "Very well, I am Lord Nephrite, one of the Shitennou and high protectors of the High Prince of Earth, Endymion, and heir to Elysion. Now untie me," he ordered calmly.

Sailor Moon stepped forward and began to untie the ropes. The others jumped to restrain her. 

"What do you think you're doing, Sailor Moon?!" demanded Mars. 

"He said he protected Endymion. And he can't be evil because of my attack on him…"

"Just untie him; it might make him more forthcoming with answers and if not, we outnumber him five to one," said Venus, a bit irritably.

The other Soldiers let Moon untie him. When he was free, Nephrite stood slowly, rubbing his wrists together and watching them coolly with a puzzled frown on his face. The Senshi immediately grabbed their princess and placed themselves in front of her, a coffee table between them and the King.

He cleared his throat. "I remember the Senshi; you were always on the Moon and protected the Royal Family. However, I don't remember you and I would have with those distinctive colors," he said, pointing at Sailor Moon. "And I have no idea where I am." He cocked his head. "Have you seen my fellow Shitennou? My commanding officer is a relatively tall man with white hair with a slight greenish tinge. The other two both have blond hair, one very short with blue eyes and the other long with green eyes."

Their eyes narrowed. "Oh, we know where they are and who they are," Mars answered.

He studied them a moment, calculating them, and his eyes became suspicious. "How is that possible since you did not even know who _I _was?"

"Oh, that," said Venus, "we just wanted to make sure _you _knew who you were."

"And why would I not remember?" he asked.

His obvious and somewhat condescending patience grated on the Senshi's nerves. "Because you just got a blast at point blank range from Sailor Moon's wand and it might have scrambled your memories! It certainly wiped out the ones from the present!" Venus snapped hotly.

He didn't say anything and a tense silence filled the air. 

"To make sure," Nephrite started, "What are my friends' names?"

Jupiter rolled her expressive green eyes. "Your commanding officer is Kunzite, the one with short hair is Jadeite and the other blonde is Zoisite."

"You said you knew where they were; tell me."

She frowned at his command. "They're in the Dark Kingdom, working for Queen Beryl and Metallia."

The sunlight flashed on metal and Nephrite had his sword out. The Senshi powered up as he snarled, "You lie! They would _never_ betray their liege and friend by turning traitor to that witch!"

"We aren't lying," Moon said shakily. "We fight them nearly every day. The next battle we have, you come along and see for yourself. We're telling the truth. Maybe they were brainwashed; you were, you just don't remember."

"I would remember if I had turned traitor!"

"Did you hear nothing Venus said earlier?" snapped Mars. "She _said _that Sailor Moon blasted you at point blank range with her wand and it scrambled your memories! _That's _why you don't remember it!"

Nephrite's jaw clenched as they stared at him. His hand tightened and loosened convulsively on his sword. Finally with a twist of his wrist, the sword was gone, but not the anger nor the suspicion from his eyes.

"Fine, I shall come the next time you 'battle' my friends. Now, since you all seem to know so much," he said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, "perhaps you can tell me where Prince Endymion is."

The Senshi glanced at Moon, whose face was as blank as a stone wall. "He was captured by the Dark Kingdom and is imprisoned there," Mercury said finally.

They watched for a reaction from Nephrite, but he just stood there, as if he didn't understand. "Do you understand what Mercury just said?" snapped Jupiter. "Prince Endymion is locked inside the Dark Kingdom, comatose and badly hurt, last time we saw him, nearly eight months ago."

Nephrite's breathing came a tad bit more heavily as his eyes flashed with insurmountable anger. "You mean to tell me that my prince, my FRIEND, has been captured by that vile creature, Beryl? And you did nothing to stop it?"

"Of course we did! How could we not when the man of my heart was being taken away from me?!" cried Sailor Moon, perilously close to tears.

Nephrite blinked and his jaw dropped. "Princess Serenity???"

She nodded slowly. Nephrite dropped down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "This is all entirely too much," he muttered. His voice seemed near to tears as well, though it seemed almost impossible for a man like him to cry.

Moon took pity on him. She walked to him and kneeled down. The Senshi almost stopped her, but one look from Mars and they stood still. 

"Yes, he was taken, but we can get him back. We got you back; we can get your friends back; we _can get him back. For now though, you need rest and Jupiter will let you stay here with her, for a while until we get everything straightened out."_

Nephrite looked up at Jupiter and she nodded, if a bit sullenly.

"I suppose I have no choice, but…I must get back to Earth as soon as possible."

There was silence. "You _are on Earth."_

He looked at Mars. "I can't possibly be on Earth. Why would, excuse my rather blunt words, Jupiter, a Senshi, have a home on Earth when the Senshi don't even care that much for us?"

Moon swallowed with difficulty. "The Silver Millennium was destroyed, the Moon along with it. You're a thousand years in the future. On Earth."

This seemed a little too much for Nephrite to handle at the moment with them there and they left him alone as they retreated to the kitchen.

Immediately the Senshi rounded on their leader. "What on the gods green earth did you think you were doing, Usagi?" demanded Mars.

"I couldn't let him think he was still in the Silver Millennium."

"I wasn't talking about the Silver Millennium part!" was the hissed reply.

"Then what are you talking about?"

Mars made a frustrating gesture with her hand. "Everything! Telling him you were the princess, offering him a chance to contact the other Kings, who could brainwash him back!"

Moon's eyes filled with tears at the criticism at what she had thought had been a good idea.

Mercury put her arm around her shoulders. "Usagi-chan, we don't mean to criticize what you decided to do, but we're only concerned about you."

"I understand."

"We'll just have to be on a higher guard, that's all," said Venus soothingly as their princess controlled her tears.

They went back to the living room to find Nephrite as he had been when they had left: sitting on the couch and staring into space. 

"Are you all right?" Jupiter called.

He started and looked at her, his eyes a little lost. "I'm sure I will be fine with a little rest. Do you have a room that I may sleep?"

"I have one guest room that you can use, I guess. Down the hall, first door on the left."

He nodded and followed her directions. A moment later, they heard a soft click as the door closed behind the King. The Senshi gripped Jupiter's arm in concern, but left the apartment. Jupiter, worried herself, slipped down the hallway and into her bedroom, being careful to lock the door. She had been so tired and hadn't slept much the night before, so she lay down for just a small nap.

She woke from a rather sound sleep, still in her Senshi fuku and on top of her comforter, by the sound of the shower running. For a moment she didn't understand why, until she remembered her…guest. It almost appalled her at how easily she had fallen asleep, knowing a potentially dangerous foe was living in her home. By all rights and her instincts, she shouldn't have slept so deeply knowing he was loose.

Jupiter got to her feet and slipped down the hallway on soundless boots. She found her hand on the bathroom doorknob before she caught herself. What was she doing? Was she acting like she was sneaking up on a thief or like something else? Her face burning red, she practically fled back to her bedroom, where she detransformed.

She was asleep again in a few seconds.

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 04

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

Hidden Truths 

_Chapter 4_

Makoto was awoken at, from what her alarm clock said, 3:27 in the morning by her communicator beeping harshly in her ear. Her hand snaked forward and grasped it tightly in her hand. Venus's face appeared in the small visual.

"Attack out at 5th street. Come as quickly as you can. Bring Nephrite."

"Agreed."

"Venus out."

The visual went dark and Makoto pulled out her henshin wand. "Jupiter Power, Make-UP!"

It was Jupiter who left the bedroom and banged her fist hard on the guest room door. It opened in a moment, Nephrite looking disheveled. She immediately suppressed the thought that he looked remarkably handsome.

"You want to know if we're lying about your friends, then come with me. There's an attack going on right now. Stay hidden when we get there. I don't want _your _friends to see you."

He nodded and his body brightened with a dark reddish brown color. When it faded, he was in a uniform, but not one she had ever seen him, as a Dark Kingdom Shitennou, ever wear. It was a much darker gray edged in burgundy with an elaborate shoulder pin on the top of his right shoulder. It was much more detailed than his Dark Kingdom one. The evil one had tended to be a rather drab light gray and no ornamentation on it whatsoever.

She pushed the thoughts aside and led him from the building at a dead run. She jumped down the stairs as fast as she could and burst from the front door with a low bang as the door slammed against the outside wall.

They ran, equal in stride and speed, he having no trouble keeping up with her. The night was still, as if it held its breath for what would happen in the silence and upcoming joined battle.

Jupiter heard it before she saw it. With a small gesture of her hand, she signaled for Nephrite to disappear in the shadows. He did it so well that one moment he was there and the next he wasn't. It was rather startling.

Her presence was welcomed by glad cries from the Senshi and glares from the remaining Shitennou.

"Where's Nephrite?" asked Venus as she thrust her chain toward Zoisite when he headed for Mars's unprotected back.

"Somewhere around here, staying hidden. I don't want them seeing him."

"Good idea."

Jupiter nodded. "Supreme Thunder!"

Jadeite dodged her lightning and she cursed, though she had not expected anything else. A frown played at her lips. There was something different about their fighting that night. Almost as if they were holding back for some reason. Why? Was there something they had up their sleeves, intending to use against the Senshi? One something particularly tough?

Zoisite thrust an ice spear toward her and Jupiter dodged. She had not realized this was exactly what he had wanted her to do until she had her back to Kunzite and Zoisite in front of her, effectively trapped in a pincer movement. With an ice spear in front of her and two boomerangs behind her, both ready to fly, she didn't know what to do. Venus and Mars were calling on their attacks, but Jadeite was making tough work for them. 

Moon jumped up and called out, "Moon Frisbee!"

Her tiara attack was deflected by a shield around the three of them, effectively ending any counterattacks from her fellow Soldiers. The dome was a pale black, barely able for her to see through it. She only hoped that her death served its purpose to show Nephrite that his fellow Shitennou were no longer his friends. She felt a kind of sadness that he had to find this out, but there had been no choice. They had to get him on their side, or the Senshi would lose the war with the Dark Kingdom, Earth falling like the Moon Kingdom before, a thousand years ago.

Zoisite's ice spear flew at her chest as Kunzite thrust a boomerang at her. Jupiter fell to the ground, bracing herself for a quick leap back to her feet as the magical weapons pierced the air where her head had been momentarily before. Zoisite cursed and before she could move, Kunzite's boot connected with her stomach. 

The wind was knocked painfully out of her and she fell to her side on the ground, trying vainly to get her breath back. Zoisite aimed his spear over her heart and propelled it down to her. 

There was no where to move, Kunzite's boot on her stomach keeping her immobile, and she braced herself for the pierce as it would rip through her flesh. 

It never came.

A shattering of the shield alerted her to outside interference and a sword sliced straight through the ice spear, cutting it in half. Her head jerked to look behind her expecting to see Venus, since she had the Moon Sword from the olden days.

Nephrite gripped his ornate sword tightly in two hands and he glared at his friends. Kunzite, Zoisite, and Jadeite looked to be paralyzed with shock.

"So you sold out to Beryl and Metallia. You sold our liege, Endymion, for power! Unfortunately, the Senshi told it true and no thing saddens my heart more except knowing that that _witch _holds my friend in that evil's clutch. Kunzite, Zoisite, Jadeite, unless you come to your senses, you fight me. And I will get Endymion back even without your help," he warned, his voice dangerously low.

"Nephrite, what are you talking about?" Zoisite demanded. "Endymion was a traitor. He was always going to the Moon people, always consorting with them. He was planning to bring down his entire kingdom for that treacherous Moon Princess! He—"

"Moon Healing ESCALATION!"

Zoisite whirled in time to be enveloped in Sailor Moon's white light. Kunzite, right behind his friend, got a brunt of it himself.

"Sailor Moon, look out!" Jupiter cried.

The blonde turned, as if in slow motion, and a white gloved hand grasped her wand wrist. Jadeite and her wrestled to keep control of the power, the Ginzuishou's light thrashing wildly around. He was liberally slammed with that bright light, but he didn't let go. Things in his head were confusing him, trying to tell him something, trying to show him something. But his only concern was of Zoisite.

"I won't let you take another of my friends!"

It was then that Sailor Moon realized that despite them being brainwashed and evil, they still had that comradeship that the Senshi had. They would have felt the same way had the positions been reversed and the Senshi under Beryl's control. She couldn't fault him for caring about his friends, though she doubted being caring and having friends were encouraged in the Dark Kingdom.

Her power fizzled out and the white light faded away. The top of the crescent moon wand slammed into his chest and he grunted in pain. Sailor Moon knew if it went on much longer, she would lose her grip on the wand. He was stronger than her, for one, and crushing her wrist for a second.

"Burning Mandala!"

The rings burned Jadeite's back and he cried out, letting go of her wrist. He looked over her shoulder at probably Kunzite and nodded. His body wavered and disappeared into a black portal that opened behind him.

Sailor Moon swiveled around and saw Kunzite trying to reach Zoisite who was out cold on the ground and guarded by Jupiter, Nephrite, and Mercury, while also defending himself against Venus and her attacks. He was stumbling quite a bit and his concentration seemed to waver frantically. Finally, with a growl of mixed emotions, he disappeared as well, his eyes lingering on Nephrite and Zoisite.

Sailor Moon gasped and coughed. Now that the adrenaline was gone, she was feeling the taxation of her power and her fight over the wand with Jadeite. Mars quickly supported her and she gave her black-haired friend a weak smile.

Nephrite kneeled next to an unconscious Zoisite and put two fingers against his neck to find a pulse. When he obviously found it, he sighed in relief and some of the tension left his shoulders. He looked up at them. "You were right. I'm sorry I doubted the honor and word of the Senshi. What will you do with Zoisite?" he asked hesitantly. "I understand that you might want to do him harm, considering how he was trying to kill you in battle…"

"We won't hurt him," Mercury said quietly. "After all, you did the same as Zoisite and we didn't harm you. At least, not intentionally," she added, gazing at Jupiter from the corner of her eye. She was obviously referring to when the Soldier of lightning had tied him up rather tightly to her sofa.

Jupiter blushed a little, but met his and Mercury's eyes steadily. She said nothing.

"We need to get Zoisite to somewhere safe and we need to get Sailor Moon home. She's wiped," Mars said, rather urgently.

Venus nodded. "Jupiter?"

Jupiter sighed and nodded back. "Fine, he'll go at my place."

"This is where we split," Venus said. "I'll go with Mars to get Sailor Moon home. Jupiter, you, Nephrite, and Mercury will get Zoisite to your apartment. I'm sending Mercury along to check for Dark Kingdom traces and to check you over, just in case you might have gotten hurt. The last thing I want is for you end up in a hospital."

Jupiter rolled her eyes and nodded, casting a worried glance at their now motionless and sleeping leader in Mars's arms, who was no longer supporting her, but barely holding her upright.

When the other three had left, Jupiter and Nephrite did the same trick as they had done on the other King, only this time Jupiter had his feet. With Nephrite's rather impressive strength and her own, it only took two of them to carry him and leaving no strain on Mercury and her wounded leg. Jupiter hadn't noticed it until she had winced when she walked. 

She prayed the elevators were working. She did not want to lug Zoisite's body up the three or more flights of stairs and she was worried that Mercury's leg might give out any second. It would not do her any good to climb that many stairs with an injury such as hers was.

There was silence on the walk and much grunting from the tired green Soldier. The daylight was just breaking as they walked in the lobby of her apartment building. The only problem they had to worry about then was meeting someone on the way to her home.

Mercury limped to the elevator to see if it was working. The yellow tape was gone and when the blue-haired girl pressed the up button, it opened. For once blessing her luck instead of cursing it, the two warriors maneuvered into the metal box with the comatose man in their arms. Using the elevator would decrease the chance of anyone seeing them on the stairs.

Jupiter leaned wearily against one of the walls and shifted Zoisite's feet a bit so they weren't pressing into her breasts. "When he wakes up, you have to tell him to watch what he eats. He's pretty damn heavy for such a thin one."

Mercury opened her mouth then shut it again with a blush. Jupiter had a shrewd notion that what might have come out of her mouth would have corresponded with what she had barked out when they had carried Nephrite to her apartment that other night.

Nephrite managed a tired smile and Jupiter noticed the dark circles under his eyes that had appeared in the space of the two hour battle and a half an hour to get Zoisite to her home. He must have taken the realization that his friends were against him harder than she had thought by his attitude in battle. It must have hurt like a sword wrenching and tearing his heart, yet he had put on that bravado and such for her sake, to save her. She felt unaccountably guilty and sorry for him.

The ding of the elevator interrupted the tense silence and the door slid open. Mercury poked her head outside to see if anyone was there. She slowly left it and waved her hand to indicate it was clear. For now. If they didn't hurry, they might have some difficulties with the other apartment inhabitants.

Jupiter handed her key to Mercury and the ice Senshi wasted no time in opening the door. They had just closed the door when they heard another one open down the hall. There was the sound of a high pitched voice and footsteps coming toward her apartment. Jupiter cursed. Mercury and Nephrite turned to her in a panic.

"It's the 'nosy neighbor' of this floor, Mrs. Flowers," she whispered. "No one likes her and she's taken a particular interest in me since I live alone. I'm usually out the door before she gets up. It's the main reason I'm never late; if I stay late, the better the chance I run into her."

An imperious knock cut off further conversation. "Dear, Makoto-chan. Are you there? Is there something wrong? You're not out at school yet. You'll be late."

Mercury and Jupiter looked at Nephrite when Mrs. Flowers said her name, but his face was studiously blank, if weary and sweat-soaked. "I'm…not feeling well."

"Oh, dear, don't worry. I'll come right in and bake you some of my famous chicken soup. I know you have the best ingredients, dear."

Only with her Senshi reflects and speed could Mercury have ever got to the door and lock it before it was opened. She slumped against it, a cold sweat running down her face and fear in her eyes. The doorknob was tried several times.

"Makoto-chan, open the door." Her voice sounded very irritated.

"Uh, I'm really sick and I think it's contagious. Mrs. Flowers, you're so good to me that I wouldn't want you to get laid up with whatever it is that I have. It would make me feel so bad that I wouldn't be able to take care of you since school must take precedence."

Mrs. Flowers seemed to be thinking about this since there was silence on the other side of the door. Jupiter prayed to every god that ever was that it would convince her to go.

At last, she said, "You're right. Well, I must be off. My friend isn't in town and she asks that I walk her dog every morning and every evening. Hope you feel better, Makoto-chan."

Footsteps away from the door.

Mercury dropped to her knees and gasped in relief. Jupiter felt like crying in relief herself. Nephrite raised an eyebrow. "Where do we put Zoisite?"

"Guest room with you. There's one more mattress in there."

He nodded and they trudged their way back there, wishing for nothing more than a shower and some sleep.

"Jupe-chan, I don't think you should go to school today; neither should Sailor Moon. You're both exhausted," Mercury said from the bedroom doorway as they set Nephrite's comrade down, rather tersely.

"I agree with you," she said, flexing her shoulders to relieve some of the tension.

"I'll bring you your work. Get some rest."

"I will."

Nephrite and Jupiter looked at each other as Mercury made a stealthy escape from the balcony window.

"Thank you," he said at last.

She shrugged uncomfortably. "No problem. Don't tell my name."

He nodded and she left the room.

End Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 05

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

Hidden Truths 

_Chapter 5_

Kunzite stumbled, clutching his head as he appeared in the anteroom of his quarters. Jadeite waited for him, his face bleak and saddened. From the shadows under his eyes, he knew his friend was having the same problems as he was.

These strange voices and visions in his mind. And why was Endymion, the traitor, prominent in most? And gods above, why was a feeling of happiness and contentment attributed to these visions?

"What did that retched Moon Princess do to us?" demanded Jadeite.

Kunzite shook his head. "I don't know."

"What happened to Zoisite?" The Shitennou of the Far East division's voice was quiet, almost as if was afraid of the answer. "And what happened to Nephrite? Why did he turn against us?"

"The Senshi got to him." Kunzite didn't know if he meant Zoisite or Nephrite, and in the end it didn't really matter. The answer could be applied to both.

Jadeite dropped his head into his hands and groaned. "I have the worst headache that I've ever had in my entire life, and that includes all the ones those Senshi have been causing me."

"I agree. Let's just get some sleep. Maybe in the morning I'll know what to tell Her Majesty, Beryl."

"Huh?"

Kunzite gave him an incredulous look. "You didn't actually think she wouldn't notice that two of her best subordinates are now missing did you? If I don't come up with something spectacular to tell her, we'll be the ones to pay."

He groaned. "I had forgotten about her."

Kunzite stared at Jadeite. Forget about Beryl? For even a moment? Come to that, even he had forgotten about her. That was a very dangerous sign. "What has that Moon Princess done to us?" he whispered.

When Zoisite woke up, it was to a room he didn't recognize. He bolted upright in alarm and only Nephrite's voice calmed him. He was sitting cross-legged on a thin bed with green sheets and a green comforter. 

"What's going on?"

Nephrite sighed and spun out a tale that Zoisite's analytical mind simply could not grasp. He shook his head as Nephrite finished.

"Nephrite, I think you may have hit your head. It's not possible," he said as gently as possible, and rather carefully.

His friend got to his feet and grabbed his arm. He dragged Zoisite from the bed and into a brightly lit room, the sunlight streaming in from a balcony door on the far wall. A couch against the right wall, one that looked to have been rather misused lately and large piles of coiled rope on the seats.

"Does this look familiar to you, any of it?"

Zoisite shook his head in wonderment as he looked out the window and down at the street below.

"I didn't tell you the worst part yet."

The King of the European division recognized that tone of voice and turned around, grim-faced. "What?"

"Kunzite and Jadeite turned traitor. They're working for Beryl and Metallia."

"Impossible! They would not betray us! Nephrite, think about what you are saying and who you are talking about! Can you imagine Jadeite, let alone _Kunzite_, turning traitor to the Golden Kingdom, to Endymion?"

Nephrite's brown eyes glared at him and he was caught. Nephrite's gaze had always held something in them that could paralyze someone. All that knowledge that the stars had gifted him and he kept it hidden as best he could. But when he was angry, his barriers shattered and one could see the power and knowledge in them.

"I don't lie. I've seen it myself."

"When?" he asked shakily.

"Last night, when the Senshi fought them. And you. You were on the receiving end of one of my attacks when you were going to kill Sailor Jupiter."

"Impossible." Zoisite couldn't get his voice above a whisper. 

"And even worse, Endymion is trapped there, unconscious and wounded."

Zoisite gripped the edge of the windowsill. It just wasn't possible…It _couldn't_ be. "What are we going to do? And where are we?"

"We are in Jupiter's home. Only…we are not to call them by their Senshi names when they are not Senshi. No one knows the Senshi exist here."

"They aren't Senshi all the time? And no one knows they exist? This day has been full of surprises and it isn't even over yet," Zoisite said weakly.

"They will be here later, to talk to us."

"Where are they now? Shouldn't this kind of thing take precedence?"

Nephrite shook his head. "I don't know where they are. Also, the Princess is a Senshi here."

"The _Princess?_ The _Moon Princess?_"

He nodded. Zoisite groaned. "What are they playing at?"

"You'll see if there is another attack by Beryl. She…has the Ginzuishou and has the ability to…heal them."

His ears pricked up. "How do you know?"

"Because she did it for you and I'm told for me as well."

"But, Nephrite, what do we do now?"

His friend only shook his head and shrugged.

Kunzite practically jumped from his bed as a hand touched his shoulder. Jadeite looked at him shakily as he took in where he was. 

"Beryl's lair? How did we get here?"

Jadeite shook his head and sat down in a chair. "I passed countless youma on my way here and they didn't even touch me. Rather, most bowed to me or got out of my way. Kunzite…I think we must be some kind of warriors for Beryl."

"What are you saying?" he hissed.

"Think about it: How else would we have gotten here? And don't you feel as if you've been asleep for a long, _long_ time? And we both know Beryl was trying to mind-control most of the populous of Earth. What if she somehow succeeded? Damn, I wish we had Nephrite and Zoisite here."

A knock on the closed door brought Kunzite alert. "Come in," he said warily with a warning glance at Jadeite.

The youma was well-endowed in the chest area and when she bowed low, the two Shitennou got a very good look at her cleavage. She didn't straighten as she spoke. "Her Majesty Beryl wishes to speak to the Shitennou immediately in the throne room."

"Accepted."

It left, closing the door quietly. Kunzite turned to Jadeite. "Where the hell is her throne room?" he whispered.

"I don't know. Let your feet take you there. That's what I did with your room. It seems our bodies are conditioned like so many years to know where everything is, even if our minds don't."

Kunzite was skeptical, but did as Jadeite had suggested. Amazingly enough, it worked. The leader of the Shitennou almost gulped at his close proximate to the evil witch in the heart of her den. A fiery rage built inside of him against the woman, but he carefully kept his expression neutral. He wasn't so sure Jadeite could do the same, but for both their sakes, he hoped he could. 

"Where are Kings Nephrite and Zoisite? Where are they?" she demanded irately. "And why haven't you discovered the identities of the Senshi yet? I want the Ginzuishou from the Princess' hands!"

Kunzite fought to keep a nervous tick from appearing under his eye. "They are...We Shitennou developed a plan to discover the identities of the Senshi. The Princess seems to think with her Ginzuishou, we'd come to her side. So when she used it the last time, Zoisite and Nephrite erected shields against her power and withstood the…attack. Then they pretended to collapse and were taken into their custody. With the Senshi thinking the two are good, they might be more open-mouthed or careless."

Kunzite had no idea how he knew all this or how he could lie so smoothly to this woman, but she accepted the details of the fight without a problem. He simply blessed his luck and didn't second guess it.

"A risky plan, but it might work. You must get the Ginzuishou so we can release our great leader, Metallia. And kill those pesky Senshi!"

"Yes, Queen Beryl," they chanted.

She waved them away and they quickly exited the room. They shared a glance and headed back to Kunzite's room. As soon as the door was closed, Jadeite turned to him. His face was completely white and he was shaking slightly. Kunzite couldn't blame him. He wasn't much better.

"How do we know these things? And what is she talking about?"

"I think we need to surreptitiously find out what's been going on. Is there a library or something here?"

"Down the hall to the left."

They stared at each other as they said it at the same time. They quickly left the room and only stopped when they saw a stone-like coffin.

By unspoken agreement, they approached cautiously and peered within. Kunzite jabbed his elbow in Jadeite's chest as he gasped. Endymion looked to be asleep, but there was something not right about it. A wound on his right side might account for his sleep, but not totally.

"We have to find out what's going on here," he whispered in Jadeite's ear.

The commander of the Far East division nodded, white, and they proceeded down to the hallway as quickly as they could without seeming to run.

Zoisite and Nephrite were waiting for the Senshi when five girls entered the Jupiter home. Their faces were made for laughing, but on each was a grim expression and they looked the Kings over with a critical eye.

Each held out a pen and that convinced them that whatever else these girls might be, they were the Senshi. Zoisite's eyebrow rose as he identified each one.

Sailor Mercury. A young girl with perpetual sadness around her beautiful blue eyes. They were much like his, those eyes; so calculating and calm. She was tranquil at the moment, but there was no mistaking those tense muscles that were ready to jump in front of her princess at any moment.

Sailor Mars. There was a fighter if he had ever seen one before. She would fight till the end, in every aspect and not just battle. Her eyes flared with fire and when she looked at him, Zoisite could tell she had the same kind of eyes as Nephrite, though different. Where Nephrite held knowledge of events, she held knowledge of souls. It almost made him shudder.

Sailor Jupiter. She was the one who was offering them sanctuary at her home, at her safety's expense. He had no doubt that even if she wasn't a Senshi, she would be able to care for herself. She had her body halfway overlapping her princess. Her eyes flashed like lightning as she looked at him and Nephrite's comment about him nearly killing her invaded his mind. He nearly looked away, but he would not be cowed. Not when the Prince's life was in danger.

Sailor Venus. A leader and that was obvious to even the most obtuse. The way she held her head…like Kunzite. And that brought a pang of pain. He missed his friends. She was also overlapping the princess, her body slightly ahead of Jupiter's. The red bow in her hair tried to make her seem girlish, but it did not. Gold would have gone better, but he digressed.

And Sailor Moon.  The Moon Princess looked at him with sympathy in her great blue eyes. Those eyes that had captured the Prince's heart for all lifetimes held a wisdom he would not have expected. And her sympathy was not feigned; she understood it and felt it much like many would or could not.

"We have chosen to appear to you in our civilian forms simply because we cannot afford to always be in Senshi form," Venus said. "We shall introduce ourselves to you shortly, but first," She held up hand, "When we are in Senshi form, you call us by our Senshi names. When we are not Senshi, you refer to us in our civilian form. It is for safety. My name is Aino Minako.

"Sailor Jupiter is also known as Kino Makoto.

"Sailor Mars is known as Hino Rei.

"Sailor Mercury is known as Mizuno Ami.

"And Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess, is known as Tsukino Usagi.

"Tell no one of the information that has been so greatly given to you. It was worth much debate. The Princess is convinced that you can be trusted and I hope for all our sakes that she is right."

There was silence after her speech and the beeping of the communicator was easily heard.

End Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 06

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

Hidden Truths 

_Chapter 6_

Jadeite and Kunzite had their fill of knowledge from the Dark Kingdom. They somehow had to contact the Senshi, Nephrite and Jadeite, and smuggle the prince out and the only way they could do that was to remain in the Dark Kingdom. They had to make the appearance that they were still under Beryl's control.

For that was what had happened. Beryl and Metallia had gotten control of them and turned them traitor. Traitor. The word burned in Kunzite's gut, making his vows of the Silver Millennium worthless. Sure it had taken a lot of power to convert the Shitennou against the Prince, but it had been done. How could they now convince the Senshi that they had not been working of their own free will? It was impossible, but the two had to try. They would go insane if they didn't.

Jadeite, though, remembered something that he had not mentioned to Kunzite. He couldn't bear to, not with the weight already on his leader's shoulders. He remembered Princess Raye, of Mars. She had been his lover and the last day together she had told him she was Sailor Mars. It had been a great concession, and Jadeite had promised never to betray that trust.

It was little consolation to know that he hadn't. Not after everything else that had happened. Reincarnation and still taken by Beryl. He could only hope that she remembered nothing of the previous life, nor any of his comrades. It would be too painful, bringing false expectations into this now free life. Perhaps he could build another relationship with her, but he hardly expected it.

"We should appear by the park," Kunzite whispered.

"What happens when we appear there and then are unable to get back here? Maybe when that cleansing happened, it took away our opportunity to get back."

Kunzite leaned back in his chair and stared at the far wall of his room. His was the most secure, so they always held their conferences there. "We shall have to hope that that isn't the case.

"Regardless, we have to tell, or rather ask, Beryl to 'visit' the other Shitennou to see if 'they found anything out yet'."

"Do you think she'll let us? Without being watched?"

"We'll have to hope she won't."

When they entered the throne room, Beryl was peering deeply into the depths of her crystal ball. They waited until she looked up at them, a trifle annoyed. Kunzite cleared his throat and began his well-rehearsed speech.

For a moment, nothing happened and he feared that she had seen through their façade. Then she nodded and dismissed them with a hand, immediately turning her attention to something else. Kunzite and Jadeite let the shadows take them from her view and when she could no longer see them, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's time to go."

The two Kings had not been in the park for a minute when the Senshi appeared, with Zoisite and Nephrite.

"Zoisite! Nephrite!" Jadeite exclaimed with relief and attempted walk forward.

Kunzite dragged him back when the Senshi and their comrades tensed. He cleared his throat, much like he had with Beryl, and said, "Sailor Senshi…" He found he didn't know what to say, though. How could he put it so they would believe them?

He tried again, but this time not even their names would come. He was at a loss for words and he didn't know what to do about it. 

"You're different," commented Mars.

Kunzite almost looked relieved when she started the conversation. Perhaps he could find a way to say it later on. "How so?"

"Well, gee, I don't know. You're not trying to kill us, for one," she drawled sarcastically.

"Sailor Senshi, we are eternally regretful of doing something like that," Jadeite said quietly and sincerely from behind him.

There was a tense disbelief. Finally Venus asked, somewhat skeptically, "You are?"

"Absolutely," Kunzite answered.

"Mercury?" asked Sailor Moon.

"Nothing," she replied. "They're free of evil energy and are as clean as Nephrite and Zoisite and I've done a thorough scan of them."

"Well," said Venus, "then we need to talk. Follow us."

Kunzite and Jadeite did so, feeling apprehensive. Instead of dimming when they got to a tall building, it only grew when the Senshi looked carefully around them, almost as if they were searching for something.

When they seemed to be satisfied, they led them to an elevator and rode upwards. It dinged open in the silence after a few minutes. Jupiter unlocked her door and waved them inside, watching one particular door down the hall. She slipped inside it quickly just as the other door opened.

She locked it when she was inside and listened, her ear pressed against the wood. Whatever she had been listening to must have stopped because she pulled away and gestured for them to sit down.

Out of compassion for their obviously distraught friends, Nephrite and Zoisite allowed Kunzite and Jadeite to sit on the sofa, them leaning against the arms. The Senshi placed them strategically in chairs opposite them or standing near them.

"Do you know what has been going on?" Venus asked at last, her attitude all business.

"Yes, we know about the fall of the Moon Kingdom. We did our research before attempting to contact you."

"And what is the condition of the Dark Kingdom? Does Beryl know about the missing Shitennou?"

"She knows," Jadeite replied, "though we managed to convince her that they did not turn good. Rather, that they played good and are trying to infiltrate the Senshi. She believes it, for now."

"And what excuse are you using to come here today?" asked Mercury.

"That we had arranged a meeting place with the other Shitennou to ask if they found out anything important."

"And she bought this?" Mars asked, rather incredulously.

"We don't know if she bought it for certain, but she bought it enough that we could leave without being followed or observed," Kunzite said.

"How is Endymion?" demanded Sailor Moon desperately.

"He is not well." Kunzite's grim words only intensified the desperate look on Sailor Moon's face. "He has a deep gash on his side. It is healing, but slowly. Beryl is not overly concerned about returning him to health, but instead for wiping his memory of the love that you and he shared."

Jupiter placed her hand on her leader's shoulder in comfort. "Do not think I trust you just yet, but can you get back there and smuggle him to us?"

"We were planning on such a thing," Jadeite responded. "But we had to contact you first. We would need a place where he could recover in safety and a place where we could hide when Beryl figures out we are no longer under her control."

"Yes, she would know you wouldn't be when Endymion disappeared," Mercury murmured.

"Unfortunately we do not have a key to Mamoru's apartment," Venus said. 

"Can you have a key made for the lock or replace it?" Zoisite asked, a little wistfully.

Venus allowed him a small smile. "No, none of us have that kind of money nor could we give a plausible excuse for wanting to do that when none of us know him that well except perhaps Mars or Moon," she replied, thinking of Moon's relationship with him and Mars' sometimes run-ins at the dojo she went to.

"I didn't think it would be that easy."

"We must be going."

"But you've only been here an hour!" Jadeite protested. "We still have to talk!"

"We know this and we should stay, but our lunch time is over," Venus answered. "Even as Senshi, even running, we will still be late back to classes."

They slipped out of the apartment without another word. "What was that all about?" Jadeite demanded.

"They are civilians and have civilian lives," answered Nephrite. "If they are the age they look, they will be in school."

"Luckily we don't have that problem," replied Zoisite dryly. 

For indeed, the Shitennou looked to be at least between the ages of 20 to 22, Kunzite being 22 and Jadeite, the youngest, 20.

"Let us fill you in on what has been going on," Nephrite began…

When Makoto arrived home, she was tired, hot, and sweaty. But she still had to be on her guard because of the Shitennou staying in her home.

Nephrite was waiting for her when she closed the door. "Kunzite and Jadeite had to go, but they outlined to us what they are going to do. In two days, we must be at the park at midnight and be ready. That is when they will have the Prince." He hesitated. "I'm assuming we will come here for the time being. But I am curious. Will you allow them to stay here as well, after that?"

Makoto staggered forward, her gritty eyes trying to fall shut and her willpower keeping them open. "It will be a tight squeeze, but you all might be able to fit until we can think of a way to open Mamoru's apartment. I have one extra mattress in storage. I can bring that out for Mamoru to lay on, because I assume he will be asleep for some time past that. However, you Shitennou will have to double up on the other beds. I have no more mattresses or room. If necessary, there is the couch or…" She hesitated, "my room."

"We would not presume to accommodate your room," Nephrite replied, relieved. "If necessary, we will sleep on the sofa. But, if I may say so Ju—Makoto, you look dead tired. I would suggest you sleep."

"I think I'll do that," Makoto replied and she proceeded to waver forward to her room at the back of the hall. As she passed the guest room, she heard deep breathing and assumed Zoisite was asleep. 

Her last thought that night was that she needed to tell the Senshi about what would happen in two days.

End Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 07

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 7_

Kunzite waved Jadeite forward after checking the room where Endymion lay sleeping. There didn't seem to be anyone there, but looks could be deceiving. Which was why he had been standing there for fifteen minutes, waiting for something, _anything,_ to move so that he would know that he wouldn't be able rescue his prince.

Jadeite immediately entered the room and began to tap out a code on the side of the 'coffin'. As soon as he finished, the black force field fizzled with a half-hearted energy burst and disappeared. Kunzite, always watching the hallway behind him, approached Jadeite and grabbed his Prince's shoulders.

However, that was when the shit hit the fan. Kunzite had had no idea that Beryl had planned to visit Endymion that day. Consequently, her screech caught him off-guard so badly he almost dropped his friend onto the stone slab again.

"Kunzite, we've got to get out here!" Jadeite screamed. He grabbed the comatose man's legs and heaved him into his arms. 

Kunzite tossed a white boomerang at Beryl, who ducked in time for the youma behind her to be decapitated. He grabbed the Prince's shoulders again and, combining their powers, the two Shitennou teleported out of the Dark Kingdom and into Juuban Park.

They had barely materialized when hoards of youma swarmed out of a portal Beryl must have opened. But relief swept over them when they saw the Senshi and Nephrite and Zoisite ready and waiting.

"Duck!" cried Mars. "Burning Mandala!"

The fire rings swept over Jadeite's head and flamed at least four youma behind him. Kunzite and Jadeite made a dash with Endymion in their arms toward the relative safety of the Senshi.

Jadeite stumbled as a youma caught his leg. It was promptly engulfed in flames from Mars' attack.

To Kunzite's eternal relief, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Sailor Moon were waiting to help the Shitennou take him to a safe place. 

That was when things started to go wrong.

A blast of black energy slammed into each youma, making them twice as tall and twice as strong. One clipped Mars' shoulder, another cut Mercury's side. The four of them were hard pressed to keep the youma from coming through their assault and hitting the six behind.

"Go!" Venus screamed. "We'll keep them at bay for as long as we can!"

Kunzite's inner instincts told him not to leave; that to leave would be signing their death warrants. That was the last thing he wanted at this moment, but his duty was to the Prince, first and foremost.

"If you don't leave right now, I'll come back and make you!" Mars said harshly.

Venus decapitated a youma with her 'Rolling Heart Vibration' and turned to Kunzite. "Take care of the princess for us if we don't make it through this. Now, go!"

Though something was screaming at him not to do this, Kunzite nodded and turned and ran with his prince. The Shitennou followed, Zoisite dragging a screaming Sailor Moon with him.

They had reached the edge of the park when the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings could go no farther.

"Put him down on the bench," he commanded. They looked at him in surprise and Sailor Moon with hope. "I'm going back. I can't leave them to that. But someone needs to stay here with him."

"I'll stay," Sailor Moon offered quietly. "I'll stay, just so long as you bring back my Senshi in one piece."

"We shall try our best, Highness," Kunzite told her and bowed over her hand.

She waved him away, a blush staining her cheeks. Kunzite and his comrades turned and ran back to the battle.

It was obvious that if they hadn't come back, the Senshi would have been reduced to one member. Jupiter was still standing, as was Venus, but Mercury was down and out. Mars was attempting to draw the attention from her, but youma were not easily distracted from such easy prey that couldn't defend itself anymore.

"Zoi!" A spear surrounded by ice petals flew from Zoisite's hand and toward the youma heading for Mercury. The lance went straight through its chest and the petals added many more cuts. It fell to the ground and dissolved.

Jadeite landed next to Mars and supported her as she fell. She sported a gash on her temple and blood dripped into her eyes. Despite this, she still treated Jadeite with wariness, especially when his arms went around her waist.

"Star Comet!" Nephrite called out. His comet, smelling sharply of the ozone, hurtled past Jupiter, ruffling her hair, and connected with a youma. It screeched like a piano's strings being pulled sharply. Jupiter managed a surprised glance at him before he was fighting beside her, his double-sided axe swinging dangerously. 

"I thought you had a sword," he heard her call.

"I do, but I like this better."

She laughed. Kunzite left them to it and joined Venus. The leader of the Senshi turned to him sharply. "Where is Sailor Moon?"

"With Endymion."

They stared at each other with hard eyes until she said, "If something happens to her, I will kill you."

He nodded, accepting the statement that had more feeling in it than Beryl had in her entire body, and pulled out his sword. 

The next hour was a blur to Kunzite. All he could feel was the burning in his sword arm and the pain in his lungs as he fought for oxygen and life. And beside him all the time was Venus, showing the same capability she had back in the Silver Millennium. He smiled at her from time to time and sometimes she would smile back.

Before long, it was over, the youma dead and dust. When Kunzite took stock, he realized that though Mars was out and Mercury still that way, they had fairly few casualties since the Shitennou had joined in the fight.

All he really wanted to do was sleep, but Kunzite knew his duty and he couldn't do that. "We must be getting back to the Prince and Princess."

Zoisite and Jadeite picked up Mercury and Mars and, with Nephrite supporting Jupiter, they made their way back to their monarchs.

End Chapter 7 


	8. Chapter 08

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Part 8_

Venus had never been so happy to see Sailor Moon in her entire life, sitting safe and sound with her sleeping prince. She would have rushed forward, but she was so tired she could barely walk, making running out of the question.

"Minna!" she screamed and wrapped her arms in a chokehold around Venus' neck, the only one who had the endurance to withstand her bear holds right then.

"We're fine, now, Sailor Moon," she reassured, "but we have to get back to Jupiter's place as soon as possible."

Sailor Moon nodded and immediately tried to stop her sniffles. She nodded. "Let's go."

Easier said than done. It took the combined strength of Kunzite, Venus, and Sailor Moon to handle Endymion. The other Shitennou were busy holding up the other Senshi, unconscious, and Jupiter, who had just dozed off into a painful stupor.

_Wish I could do that_, Venus thought as she saw Nephrite finally give up and carry Jupiter, who was sleeping in his arms.

As they trudged along, Venus prayed, once in a long while. She prayed that the sun wouldn't rise just yet; that Sailor Moon didn't think to use the Ginzuishou on the Senshi to heal them; that it wasn't a disaster to trust the Shitennou.

When they had reached Jupiter's apartment door, Venus reached into Jupiter's subspace pocket and unlocked the door. She doubted that her friend would care at the moment; she was practically buried in Nephrite's embrace and her breathing was that of a tired child's.

The door shut with a grateful clack. There was only a few stretches left and Kunzite, Sailor Moon, and Venus managed to make it to the guest room. Oddly enough, the room was in neat order and she didn't think Jupiter had done it. _They know how to keep a room. What did I expect? A total bachelor guy room?_

They carefully set Mamoru down on one of the empty beds. He sighed in his sleep, but other that, did nothing more. Sailor Moon's face fell and she allowed herself to be gently led from the room.

Venus groaned inside when she saw her practically comatose friends. Jupiter was lucky; she lived there. 

"Sailor Moon," she said wearily for the long job ahead. "I know that Mercury doesn't live near you, practically on the other side of town, but she's the lightest. You'll have an easier time of it. I'll take Mars back home."

"We can do that," Jadeite said from the corner of the room.

She looked over the Shitennou with a critical eye. Other than Kunzite, they did seem to be in better shape and more refreshed. Sailor Moon looked to be asleep while awake and on her feet. And considering her own state, it would be so easy just to give in to the boast and say yes…But…

There was always that 'but'. "Thanks, but no. There are specific things that must be done and it would just be best this way."

"You still don't trust us."

Venus watched as he looked away and out the window. There was such a bleak expression on his face… "What are you thinking about?"

"That this will never work."

The second-in-command of the Senshi turned in surprise to Nephrite, who had answered. "What won't work?"

"This."

"What is 'this'?" She forced herself to remain calm; her irritation was up with her loss of sleep and how tired she was.

"The whole situation. You'll never trust us; we were once your enemies. It is your right to deny us help. There will never be trust between us."

She had to admire his candidness. "Perhaps there can be. You must understand that we would prefer to take the slow route in that department. But right now, please just let us do this our way."

Nephrite nodded.

Venus tensed when a body fell against her and automatically her arms moved to catch whoever it was. Sailor Moon was completely asleep. She sighed. "I guess we'll have to have some help. Who will help me? I have to get Mercury and Mars home and now Sailor Moon."

"I'll help with Mercury," Zoisite volunteered, practically immediately.

Kunzite stepped forward, but Venus put out her arm and he stopped. "Not you. You're near dead on your feet. I should know, because so am I. We need someone else."

"Why don't I take Mars back and you take Sailor Moon and Zoisite takes Mercury?" responded Jadeite in the silence. "You are her second-in-command. It's only right."

She nodded in surprise at the simple solution. And it made her feel better, knowing that Sailor Moon would be completely safe. Not that her other friends wouldn't be out of her sight, she had to show them to their homes after all, but still…

"All right, let's go. We barely have an hour before the sun rises and I'd rather be home by then."

If there was one thing that Venus did not expect to see, it was Dr. Mizuno getting out of her car. She nearly panicked. Mercury had said her mother wouldn't be home until noon the next day. She must have gotten off early. Really early. Really very early. Heart-stoppingly early.

Venus gestured to Zoisite, who was hiding close behind her. He immediately flitted to her side, carrying Mercury in his arms. "We have to get Mercury in her bedroom before her mother gets in the house!" She handed Sailor Moon to Jadeite, who wrapped an arm around her waist. "If something happens to either of them, I'll kill you. Follow me, Zoisite."

They ran quickly, Zoisite keeping up with her easily, almost frighteningly so. Where the other Shitennou were bulk, he was more wiry and quicker. He was agility incarnate and she could only imagine how Mercury alone, quicksilver herself, could have dealt with him.

She jumped up to a branch in a tree that, while a fair bit away from the upper living room, was no problem for Senshi or Shitennou, who she knew couldn't have any trouble with this jump.

Another leap and she was on the small outside window ledge. Quickly destroying the lock with a small, well-placed Rolling Heart Vibration, she dragged the glass up, nearly losing her balance in the process. It was quite sticky and felt as if it hadn't been opened in many years.

She dropped into the room and looked around warily. There were dozens upon dozens of paintings. It must have been the father's art room. It was probably why the window hadn't been opened in a long while. They probably never came into the room anymore, a small break for her.

Venus gestured for Zoisite and with a graceful, breathtaking leap, he was inside as well. They hurried to the door, but when Venus tried the handle, she found it locked and nearly dripping with rust and dust.

Obviously they had locked the room, never to return. Venus nearly cursed her friend's family uncomfortability with her father. With a quick and silent kick, the doorknob busted off. Her wrist barely fit through the hole so she could unlock the door.

As soon as the door creaked loudly open (Venus winced at the sound), she heard a much more unwelcome sound. The sound of the front door opening and closing. Abandoning the need to move slowly, Venus and Zoisite ran as soundlessly as only beings descendent from gods could. 

She burst open the door to the immaculate room of Ami Mizuno, college bound career woman. Zoisite wasted no movement. Darting for the bed, he laid her down while Venus zipped back down the hall to put the doorknob back on. When she returned, Zoisite was ready and waiting to go.

They opened the large window in Ami's bedroom and jumped out. The door opened then and Venus and Zoisite, sweating bullets, hung onto the edge of the outside sill. 

They hadn't detransformed her and Venus cast Zoisite a petrified look. He seemed to understand, because he gave her a shoulder to put her foot on to give her the leverage to get back inside a bit.

Peeking inside, she saw Dr. Mizuno looking through the closets and such, making sure there was no one there, she guessed. Her own mother did much the same thing. She carefully reached a gloved hand inside, but couldn't reach her friend. She cast another nervous look at the tall woman, but she hadn't turned. 

She tapped Zoisite's shoulder with her foot and, grunting silently, he shouldered her up a little farther until she was halfway through the window. Her arm extended to the fullest, she could just about reach the tiara on Mercury's head. One close look at her and Dr. Mizuno would know what Ami was and that could bring disastrous results. 

Her hand waved frantically, as if she was trying to snatch something extraordinarily quick from the air. She pressed the balls of her feet down onto Zoisite's shoulder, her tongue sticking out from the side of her mouth.

Suddenly she went down, not in. Zoisite must have lost some purchase on the window sill. Giving up on stealth pretense, she used her other hand to drag herself silently into the room until her knees hit the window sill. Her fingers touched Mercury's jewel tiara with a satisfying feeling.

At least until she remembered the light from the detransformation. Blue light emerged from the glowing Senshi fuku. With a near soundless gasp, she shoved herself back out the window just as Dr. Mizuno turned.

However, with the speed of her hasty departure, she couldn't grab onto the practically nonexistent window sill. Zoisite's hand snaked out and grasped her gloved wrist before she could plummet to her death.

Dr. Mizuno looked out the window and up to the full moon. She shrugged and murmured as she closed it "Must have been the moonlight on the mirror."

Venus couldn't have said when she had been that relieved before in her entire life when she said that. Zoisite, his breathing heavy from excursion and tension, shook with near hysterical laughter. Thank all the gods he wasn't laughing aloud though!

There was a low, 'psst' from below and she looked down, immediately wishing she hadn't. Though it was only a two story house, it was a very TALL two story house. The ground swam in her vision for a moment before it sharpened on Jadeite's rather distant form.

She barely saw Sailors Moon and Mars hidden in the brush behind him. He held up his arms and gestured for her to let go. Venus looked up at Zoisite in concern; she wasn't quite sure he could catch her or hold her if he did.

Zoisite gestured with his chin to Jadeite in an affirmative way. It was at that moment that Venus let herself trust the Shitennou. Her life was in their collective hands right now and she hoped she didn't make the biggest mistake of her, then admittedly short, life.

Venus took a breath and let go. The wind whistled in her ears as she fell, her fuku skirt going up instead of down. She closed her eyes and waited for either the impact of a warm body or the unforgiving ground.

She hit the warm body. Her eyes opened as Jadeite set her on her feet. He smiled at her surprised expression and winked at her. He gestured for Zoisite and he dropped. Venus ended up getting thudded with the wiry man's torso while Jadeite got his feet.

They quickly got themselves sorted out and ran at high speed away from the house. _The next thing that comes out of my mouth to dear Ami-chan will be to replace those God-forsaken window ledges, she thought as her feet spirited along the ground._

Dropping off Mars was uneventful, compared to Mercury's. They did have one close shave when her grandfather tiredly left the fire room and checked on her. But by that time, all they had to do was hide in the shadows until he left. And there were no such heart-stopping incidents when they had to detransform her.

Venus rubbed her shoulders as the Shitennou left her to return to Makoto's apartment. "Now all I have to do is get back inside the house quietly," she murmured.

"Aino Minako, where have you been??"

Venus froze in the shadows. Her mother stood before her, hands on hips and eyes flashing. "Do you know what time it is? It's 5:37 in the morning! Where have you been?!"

The Senshi didn't know what to say. After she had dropped Usagi off at her house, which had been a perfect maneuver, she had gotten a little lapse. She was too tired. But there was no way in which she could move. The slightest movement and Venus, not Minako, would be revealed.

 But would that be a bad thing? All the time she had become a Soldier, she had always kept it a secret, never using it to her advantage. She had taken all the groundings and lectures for being out late, though she had been fighting, without a word. Wasn't it time for Venus to pay Minako back?

She stepped out into the light and her mother gasped. "I am Sailor Venus. Your daughter was a great help to us, but we still need her. We will make sure she goes to school tomorrow. I just came to pick up a uniform for her to use. You should be very proud of her. She saved the world tonight." Venus allowed a little vanity to get the better of her that night.

"Oh! OH! Is she all right??"

"She's fine."

"Well, by all means, go ahead. As long as she comes home tomorrow at the regular time, it's fine."

"Just one more thing, Mrs. Aino."

"Yes?"

"Do not ask Minako what she was helping us with. It is imperative no one knows. In fact, don't mention it at all. To anyone. Not even your husband."

"I understand. I promise."

Venus slipped up to her room, feeling gleeful. Finally Venus had paid Minako back for all those times. It was a heady feeling, but her training took over and forced herself to promise her princess and all those that mattered that she would never, ever do it again.

She grabbed a clean uniform, but she didn't know where to stay. She couldn't just sneak back into her room after she had left. Rei's? No, that was too risky. Ami's? After tonight, she couldn't stand to even think of the house, much less stay there. Makoto's? Impossible with all the people _already _staying there. She must feel like she'd been invaded.

That left Usagi's, she contemplated as she quietly slipped out the front door that was held open by her mother. There was no other choice. She couldn't sleep on the park benches.

She sprinted down to her princess's home and slipped into the bedroom. Usagi was asleep, but Luna and Artemis woke. Artemis had elected to stay with Luna that night because they had to talk about all the changes and grill Usagi. It was obvious they didn't do much grilling that night.

"Minako-chan, what are you doing here?" asked Luna in surprise.

Venus, as she detransformed into Minako, quickly outlined what had transpired at her house. Artemis groaned. "Oh, Minako-chan, I'm sorry I didn't warn you. But you were in and out when you brought Sailor Moon back."

"I know. I just need a place to crash for the night. I don't go to school with Usagi, though. Will one of you wake me so I can get to my school? It's farther from here."

"Of course," Luna promptly answered.

Gratefully, Minako sank down onto the bed. Usagi didn't even stir. Her blue eyes closed tiredly and in seconds she was out.

End Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 09

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 9_

Artemis woke her in what should have left her plenty of time to get to school. However, fate had conspired to make her departure a whole lot more difficult than she really needed it to be.

The moment Usagi had awoken and saw Minako in her school uniform in her bedroom, she had to be silenced to stop her screeching. Then her mother came into the room and Usagi had pushed her into the closet.

Seeing her daughter up and _awake before she had come in caught Ikuko's attention and she stayed for a full five minutes longer than necessary. Finally Usagi convinced her mother that she was all right, had no such evil diseases, and had to get dressed for school._

Minako had not been out of the closet for a minute when someone else passed through. She was shoved into bathroom quickly and the door shut in her face. Normally, Minako didn't mind Usagi's little brother Shingo, but at that moment he and the rest of the world were conspiring to make her deadly late for school, something she didn't really need, considering what she had told her mother last night.

Cursing under her breath, Usagi grabbed Minako's wrist and thrust her out of the window when he left. Minako was sure that Usagi only wanted to help her friend, but shoving her out of the window like that kind of did the opposite. Minako only had time to grab onto a branch before plummeting to her death a second time in the space of five hours. She wasn't Sailor Venus anymore and Minako couldn't do what Venus could without Venus actually being present.

Slowly she climbed down and ran toward her school, Artemis by her side. Then she remembered she had gotten a uniform from her room last night, but not her bag and books. When she groaned and explained it to Artemis, he ran off toward her house.

Her legs were working full out to get to school, but it was a lost cause and everyone on the crowded streets knew it. They parted for her sadly and shook their heads as she passed, but Minako had perseverance. She would not give in.

Then Artemis was back, dragging her book bag with him. She didn't even stop to pick it up. Rather, she slung it up into her hand while moving at top speed and flinging Artemis in the air. She prayed to every god out there that a miracle would come.

And a miracle did. A car passed her then slowed. A red convertible door opened for her as she reached it. One glance at it and she was hopping in. Whatever else Nephrite might be, he had one helluva car and it would get her to school faster than her legs could ever think of going.

Panting she told him to step on it toward her school. He did so, going faster than she normally thought was right in a car. He dodged past startled pedestrians and other cars. In five minutes, rather than thirty, Minako was at her school building.

When she turned to thank him, however, she saw that it wasn't Nephrite driving the car. "Kunzite," she whispered.

He smiled crookedly at her. 

"Nephrite lent you his wonderfully expensive car?"

"I wouldn't say lent exactly."

"Why do you have it anyway?"

Kunzite looked away. "I needed to go somewhere with fresh air and Nephrite told me of a place. However it would take so long to walk there that there would be no point in going. So I borrowed his car."

"Well I can thank heaven that you did."

He glanced at her in surprise. "Why?"

"I would have been totally late without the help. But I got to go; the bell will ring any minute."

And she was right. No sooner had she entered the gates than the gong sounded and students, watching her in surprise, made for their classes. She wasn't entirely certain why until she looked back at Kunzite in the car.

He was still there, watching her. She guessed to make sure she got inside on time or something. But an outsider's view…She nearly laughed. Always late Minako was driven to school in a red Ferrari with a drop dead gorgeous guy in the driver's seat.

She waved at him and the frown on his face disappeared into a smile. He threw the car into gear and drove off, going slower than when she had been in the car.

The rest of the day was completely uneventful compared to her morning. She met up with Usagi, Ami, and Makoto after school and they made their regular trip to the Hikawa Shrine. She filled the others in on the details. And then that reminded her…

"Ami-chan?"

"Hmm? Yes, Minako-chan?"

"Have you ever hung for dear life on the outside window sills of your house?" she asked sweetly.

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Well, since Zoisite and I nearly ran into your mother last night when we brought you home, we had to hang on outside your bedroom window. Had it not been for Jadeite catching me, I would have died. And you would have felt so guilty. To assuage this guilt, you would have convinced your mother to widen all the window sills on the outside of your house. As you see, I am not dead, but that does not mean you should neglect widening the window sills."

Ami's eyes were wide at the tale. "Minako-chan! You were hanging from those window sills?"

"Yes and you definitely need to change them!"

"All right, all right. I'll talk to my mother."

"See that you do," she said and the other girls laughed at the aristocratic air she put on. Minako caved in a moment later and giggled with the girls.

"Usagi-chan!"

Usagi turned around to see Naru running toward her. She smiled, but it was with a little less cheer than what she normally had with her friends. Minako knew the others were feeling the same as her: guilt. It was because of them and the Senshi that she no longer could hang out with other, Non-Senshi, friends. 

"I'm going to a movie with a few friends, but I got a ticket for you too. It's that new American movie, Lord of the Rings. It was supposed to be awesome. Do you want to come? You did say you wanted to see it."

Usagi looked torn. She knew that her princess had wanted to see that movie, had wanted to see it for months, but had wanted to see it with Mamoru, and if not him, with the other girls. But it would be another of the many denials to Naru that would break their friendship for good. Naru wasn't giving in, but this was the last chance to keep that friendship going.

Minako could rescue her friend, but had two different decisions she could make in that course. She could drag Usagi up the stairs, saying she had promised them she would and make it look like she had wanted to go but couldn't. Or she could just say 'go' and explain to her later what had happened. One would ensure the friendship and good graces of Naru and the other would destroy the childhood relationship that the girls had.

Venus was just as torn as Minako. She knew what she _should _do, that the world rested on her shoulders, but if she went to the meeting it would make Usagi unhappy. Both Venus and Minako agreed wholeheartedly on one single thing: that if the princess wasn't happy then it was their job to make her happy and keep her that way. She meant more to them than the Earth did. 

"Go on, Usagi-chan," she said when the silence had stretched thick and Usagi had opened her mouth to answer. "We'll tell you everything that happened, we promise. Not missing a single detail." She winked playfully.

Usagi smiled joyfully and immediately agreed with Naru that she would come. Naru sighed and smiled, happy instead of apprehensive. "What were you going to do at the Shrine, Usagi-chan?" she asked before they left.

"We're going to talk about this drop dead gorgeous guy that drove Minako-chan to school this morning," Makoto supplied with a meaningful look at her other blonde friend and second-in-command.

"Oh, I don't want to tear you away from that. I know you love stories like that."

Usagi looked back at the three of them. As sure as if she had said it, this was a test. A test to see if she would really rather come with her than stay and listen. This was her last chance to bug out and end the friendship if she really didn't want it.

"Usagi-chan," said the quiet Ami's voice, "you really should go. You see, I want to see the movie too, but with my studying and cram classes after school, I don't have the time. I want you to go so you can tell me all about it in as much detail as I know you'll remember. And if you don't go, I'll never forgive you."

Minako couldn't tell out of the five of them who was more surprised at this bold statement, the other girls or Ami herself. 

Usagi recovered first. "Sure! I promise Ami-chan! Let's go Naru-chan; I'm dying to see this movie!" And her enthusiasm came back in full force and Naru laughed as she was led away at high speed for the movie theater.

Makoto and Ami looked at her. She turned and walked up the Shrine steps, the other two following. When Rei saw them without a Usagi, she was ready to blow her top about her being late when Minako cut in, in a soft voice that silenced the normally outspoken Rei.

"I let her go with Naru-chan. Their friendship would have ended then and there if she said no. I could have saved her image in Naru-chan's eyes if I said she promised and she didn't look like she wanted to go, but the friendship still would have ended. And Usagi-chan would have been miserable. Our first duty is to the princess and then the planet, whichever it might be. You know that Rei and you also feel as I do: the princess is our friend and it breaks our hearts to see her sad. Do you think I made the right decision?"

It wasn't a question that was asking if she made the right decision, per say, but more like asking if Rei would have done the same thing had the positions of the two been reversed.

"Yes, you did."

Minako nodded. "So what do we have to talk about?"

"The Shitennou," replied Luna, coming out from the Shrine with Artemis behind her.

"I thought so. What part of them do we need to concern ourselves with?"

"Asking this question of Usagi is pointless," Luna said, complete with a roll of her eyes, "because she'll say yes, but you girls, especially you Minako, are the ones to ask and can be trusted to weigh the good and bad and unknown factors. Do you trust them, Rei?"

Rei cocked her head. "I…don't know. There are no traces of evil inside them anymore and they did help us."

"Makoto, do you trust them?"

Makoto crossed her arms over her chest. "I can say that, not quite yet, but nearly."

"Why?"

"Luna, they've been living in my home for nearly a week now and they haven't touched me yet."

"I see. Ami, do you trust them?"

Ami didn't answer right away. "All my tests have been either inconclusive or in their favor. They haven't done anything to harm us since that blast with the Ginzuishou, but they haven't done anything outside of battle to win that trust."

"Minako, do you trust them?"

"Yes."

Surprise was registered. She knew she was the most likely person to say 'I don't know' or no, not yes. "Why?"  
  


"Last night when we took Ami-chan home, Zoisite and I were hanging from the outside ledge of her bedroom, hiding from her mother. When Dr. Mizuno's back was turned, Zoisite helped me get back inside to detransform her. But when she was turning around and I got back out, I couldn't grab the window sill in time. If Zoisite hadn't grabbed me, I would have died. He was under no obligation to do that. And then, when we were trying to figure out how to get down, Jadeite caught me. Both times they could have let me die or attacked me if they were evil. I trust them."

"I see," replied Luna again and sat in silence. Nothing was said between the girls, but Minako knew they were thinking about what she had told them.

"Don't say you trust them just because they helped me," she said suddenly and they looked at her in shock. "That's just the reason _I _trust them. Let them earn each of your trusts as individuals."

"I can see the fundamentals in that," Artemis murmured. "It would be better for everyone to have trust in them wholeheartedly by themselves and not because they helped someone else and that person trusts them. It doesn't clear up any lingering doubts, just hides them."

Her friends nodded at the wisdom of that statement. "Oh, guys? I won't be able to make it to the meeting tomorrow," Rei said.

"Why, Rei-chan?" Ami asked in surprise.

"Because the sisters at the school have something planned, some sort of meeting, and everyone is required to go to it. Mandatory, you know. If I don't, my grade will suffer and so will the rest of my school life."

"All right then, we'll have the meeting at my house," Makoto stated. "Hell, we need the Shitennou in on this one anyway. We'll call you if something happens, Rei-chan, or send someone over to get you."

"Send someone over to get me?" she repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, Nephrite still has that Sanjouin Masato identity and that hot Ferrari of his. Minako-chan got a close look at the interior of it this morning."

A sly look from Makoto and interested looks from Ami and Rei. "Well, I was going to be late to school, none of it my fault I assure you, when this red car pulls up. I immediately recognized it as Nephrite's, so I jumped in. It was when I got out that I saw it wasn't him driving the car."

"Aino Minako-chan, you got into a car with a stranger driving it?" Rei exploded.

"Not exactly a stranger; more like Kunzite."

"Oh. But just keep in mind, that's not exactly okay!"

"Yeah, but it sure made a scene at school." Minako savored that morning moment to the fullest. "For the first time in my life, Minna, I was envied by every girl in the school for being driven there in the hottest car by the hottest guy!"

The other girls giggled.

End Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 10_

The next day, Rei was leaving the school when she saw the motorcycle. She blinked in surprise; no one ever drove a motorcycle to her _Catholic _school. Her eyes meandered over the people in the yard, wondering who the person was waiting for.

Then the rider took off their helmet and she gasped. Jadeite. How did he get a motorcycle? Was he waiting there just for her? Had something happened? If so, why hadn't they called her on the communicator then? As she walked closer, though, she had to immediately suppress the thought that he looked extremely sexy in the jeans and jacket he wore.

"Hi," she said as she approached. "What are you doing here?"

"Makoto sent me to get you. The meeting was over about an hour ago and she put all of us to work. She said to make myself useful, I might as well pick you up. I think I got the better end of the deal." He smiled; a charming one and one she fought not to respond to.

"Where'd you get the motorcycle? Mako-chan doesn't own one."

"Nephrite," he said simply and blinked.

She kicked him in his shin as discreetly as she could. He winced and demanded in a low voice, "What was that for?"

"You guys will have to think up civilian names for yourself. You can't just go about saying your…other names in public. Not only would people look at you strange for your names, but Metallia has spies everywhere!"

"I don't care much what other people think, but you're right about Metallia," he responded worriedly. "But what are common names here?"

She sighed. "Take me to Mako-chan's. We'll explain the situation and call Ami-chan. She'll be able to come up with some names and forge legal records for you."

"Legal records?"

"You have to have them to do anything in our society. You'll be grateful later on," she said cryptically.

"Oh. Are you going to get on?"

She toyed with the idea of saying no, but in the end, it wasn't worth walking all the way to Makoto's apartment when she could get a free ride out of Jadeite.

As she got on the bike, though, she caught the stares of the entire courtyard and the nuns from the windows of the school building. She shrugged it off for the moment. She had more pressing problems on her plate than being the talk of the school. If people wanted to think she was going out with Jadeite, she didn't care; it might even keep the other boys from asking her out ten times a day.

She pulled on the helmet and Jadeite resettled his over his face. He kicked the bike into gear and with a roar, was halfway down the street before the students at her school had time to wipe the dust from their eyes.

Rei tucked her bag between Jadeite's back and her stomach, then wrapped her arms around his midriff. He was extremely well-muscled, a fact that she had noticed in their battles before. Her hair, which she had forgotten to tie back, indifferently caressed her face and his.

Jadeite had never once entertained the notion that Rei would agree to the ride and now he couldn't believe his luck. He could remember in the Silver Millennium when they had gone out together, in public like this, and being the envy of everyone. But then he hadn't cared; he had had Rei and that was all he had ever wanted. 

But now he didn't have Rei and that was what he wanted again. Her arms around his chest, her hair touching his exposed neck sometimes…it all combined to make him nearly sick with longing. He couldn't say what he would give up to have her in his arms again, but he wanted it so bad that he would rather not remember what they had had back in the Silver Millennium.

It was because of his subconscious desire to be with only her that had kept him from wanting anything out of Queen Beryl's youma, Thetis. It had been well-known, even to him, that she had favored him and wouldn't decline his attentions. But he had felt nothing but revulsion whenever she touched him, whenever she came near him. And now he knew why; it was because of the thought of himself with any other woman but Rei, perfect Rei, made him violently ill inside.

And he fought the green of jealousy. He had seen the boys and how they looked at his Rei. But she wasn't 'his' anymore. Was she anyone's love and they hers? Or were they just admirers? Was she dating anyone?

Now he was green with envy of everyone who got close to her because she kept him at arms length. He couldn't blame her; he would be nervous and suspicious around the people who had caused the entire fall of the Silver Millennium.

And it was true; it was the Shitennous' fault. It was because of them. They were the only people besides the Royal Moon Family and the Senshi that had known the weaknesses of their kingdom. The Senshi had trusted them so much that they had told them that. And when Beryl had gotten them into her hands and brainwashed them, it was simply a matter of questions to find out those weaknesses to exploit them.

Slowly he approached the apartment building of Makoto's home. He let Rei get off first before he himself got off. Kicking down the brake and taking both helmets, he set them down on the handle bars. Grabbing the key and pulling it into the shadow of the building, Jadeite walked quietly with Rei up to Makoto's apartment.

When Rei got to school the next day, she was immediately called into an office by one of the nuns. She had no idea what it was about; she had always had a good school record, never late once. So what was it?

"Sit down, Miss Hino."

She did so, a puzzled look on her face.

"There was a man on a motorcycle yesterday. You rode away with him the other day when normally you walk back to the temple. You also didn't go in that direction. Are you dating an older man?" she asked in concern.

Rei couldn't help but blink a few minutes in silence. Even the nuns cared about who she was dating? Was this entire school centered on her private life? "What?" she finally repeated blankly.

"Are you dating that older man? It could be very dangerous for you; there are many consequences of such a thing and if intimacy is involved…"

Rei's hand gripped the chair handle. A nun was talking about having sex with an older man with her? She couldn't tell if she should be appalled, embarrassed, or amused. "I assure you that I am not dating Mr. Kaimen."

"Is that his name? Who is he to you?"

"His name is Jason Kaimen. He's a friend of one of my fellow comrades in the martial arts classes that I take sometimes after school."

"I thought your duties were to the temple?"

"They are, but I also take martial arts classes."

"Are you…intimately involved with this man or that fellow comrade in your class outside of school?"

Now Rei knew what to feel. She felt both appalled and embarrassed. "I am not involved with him in any way. He just came to pick me up at a request of a friend of mine since she knew I didn't have a ride."

"Is the fellow comrade a she?"

"No, that would be my best friend's boyfriend." Rei didn't exactly lie to the nun; she was sure that if Mamoru were awake, he would be dating Usagi. "Also, Sensei, please forgive my impertinence, but even was I dating Jason, I don't think it is any of your business."

"I forgive your impertinence; I know that most teenagers feel that way. I am just concerned for you. He is an older man and they are known to have a sexual appetite for young women."

The Senshi of Mars, who had seen wars and death in most horrible ways and not been sick, felt her stomach turn flip flops at this discussion with a woman who had been sworn to celibacy. Could she have found a worse subject to discuss? And she could not, for a moment, think that Jadeite, or rather Jason, wanting her body like that.

"I truly do not believe he wants that from me. We barely know each other."

"But you know each other well enough to ride with him."

"Yes I know him well enough to do that. And I also trust in myself that I can take care of myself if he tried anything."

"You are very good at physical sports," the nun conceded reluctantly. "But he was handsome and quite charming. I hope you don't intend to fall for false promises."

"I promise I won't, Sensei, but I must go to class now."

The nun nodded and Rei practically fled from the room, her ears burning and her temper up. How dare that teacher presume to know what was going on in her life? What was it to her? It wasn't her business. Rei didn't care if she was just concerned about her. That still didn't give her a right to embarrass her that way.

That afternoon saw the end of school and the same motorcycle with the same man on it there. Rei walked up to him without hesitation this time, knowing he was waiting for her.

"Will this be a regular occurrence then?" she asked without preamble.

He held out a red ribbon. "It's to tie your hair back."

She didn't touch it yet. "Is this going to be a regular occurrence?" she demanded.

"Do you want it to be?" he whispered, his face inscrutable.

"I'm just trying to know when you will or will not be here so I don't wait around for you."

"Oh, I will be here, without fail, every day unless you tell me otherwise."

"Did Mako-chan send you again?"

"…No, I came because I wanted to. Do you want me to desist?"

Rei cocked her head and a smile formed on her lips. It would give one helluva shock to that nun that presumed to know what was best for a powerful Senshi. Plus, she like riding with Jadeite—no, Jason.

She grabbed the ribbon and tied it around her hair to keep it from her face. "No, you can come to take me home."

He smiled winningly and she didn't fight the urge to smile back. Something just felt right about it and she didn't fight it. It also felt familiar. As if she'd done this before and it had been right then too.

She got onto the bike, trusting Jadeite, and they proceeded to the temple.

End Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 11_

Every time Rei proceeded to get on the bike to go home with Jason, she felt she was somehow getting closer though they never talked. And over the weeks, she had begun to think of him also as Jason as well as Jadeite. Few battles had occurred as well, enabling Rei to get a little more sleep at night as well.

She was afraid, though, that Beryl was consolidating her strengths because of the loss of her Shitennou. She hadn't taken it very well at all. At first, when the Shitennou had come to their side, she had thrown youma after youma at them for days on end. Then they had petered out rapidly.

On a happier note, though, for all concerned, was that Mamoru had woken up yesterday. The Shitennou had been alone at Makoto's apartment when it had happened and Rei wasn't entirely sorry that it had happened that way. The Shitennou had needed the time to reconcile themselves to their prince.

When they knew school was let out, however, Nate, or rather Nathaniel, had driven out to Crossroads to pick up Usagi, Makoto, and Ami. Keagan, previously Kunzite, having a car of his own that Nate had bought him with the money of Sanjouin Masato, had gone to pick up Minako, who had been thrilled with the idea of Mamoru waking up and with the car. Jason had, naturally, picked up Rei.

The problem of Sanjouin Masato had been a tough one to solve. Not only did people believe there actually was a Sanjouin Masato, Usagi's best friend, Naru, was completely head over heels in love with him. And the nun thought dating Jason would have been a relationship with an older man. Naru was at least a year younger than Usagi, though many people didn't know that. And Nate, he was at least 21 and Naru 14. That would have given that Sensei a heart attack.

Mamoru had been very weak when he had first woken up, or so the Shitennou had told them. He hadn't regained much strength when Usagi had gotten there, but he welcomed her so gladly into his arms that it made Rei want to cry. Usagi didn't have that restraint and had bawled straight into his shirt, which Nate had bought. Nate had had the money and Makoto had, not very discreetly, suggested that he buy his friends some clothes to go out in public in. It would have been a very unwise decision to go out in their Kings clothes.

Rei rested her head against Jason's back, thinking. Zale, as Zoisite had chosen to name himself, had been the first to suggest the problem of Sanjouin Masato when Nate had been prepared to go out and buy the clothing. Ami had reluctantly agreed to crack into the government's filing system and change a few things around.

In the end, Sanjouin Masato had been pronounced dead after a car accident just outside the city. His cousin, Nathaniel Hawkin, had been given control of his assets to do as he saw fit, such as he was his only living relative.

There had been some worry over Nephrite's physical appearance compared to Sanjouin Masato's. After a few bit of hours changing the picture of the latter man, it was deemed that Nate could go out in public without any magic or cosmetics altering his features, the latter of which he positively refused to entertain the likelihood of.

Rei had been enjoying riding with Jason so much that she was almost disappointed when they reached Makoto's apartment building. Rei and the others were helping Mamoru back to his own, where he had more room than Makoto and could accommodate his friends much better than she ever could, in more ways than in just room and clothing.

The door was already open when they reached her floor. Makoto was standing guard, watching another door down the hall, one that Rei recognized as Mrs. Flowers' apartment.

"Hurry up; they need your help to get him in the car."

Rei had been elected to grab the few bags of clothing that had been bought and Jason to help move Mamoru. They had to be very careful with him because any sort of untoward movement aggravated his slowly healing wound. Usagi had, at once, elected to heal him with the Ginzuishou, but Mamoru, before even the Senshi could say anything, had vetoed it immediately. 

Slowly they made their way down to Nate's car. Mamoru nodded in appreciation at it, but otherwise didn't do much else. He kept biting his lip whenever he breathed and moved and she saw Ami shaking her head at him.

Rei deposited the bags in the backseat of Nate's car. Keagan had passengers of Zale, Minako, and Makoto. Usagi had insisted on going in Mamoru's car and Ami went along in case he needed medical assistance. In truth, they had elected her to go along not only because of her medical expertise, but also to keep Usagi from using her power should Mamoru need to be helped.

And Rei had elected to ride with Jason. It had raised a few eyebrows but no words. Rei didn't care what her friends thought. She liked Jason, liked him a lot. He was not just a charming man, but funny, beautiful, and smart. He had a quick temper, like hers, but it was better controlled, tempered to fine steel. 

It was only a few minutes drive to Mamoru's apartment from Makoto's. Mamoru, thankfully, had the key with him, or rather, in his subspace pocket. It was a miracle since he didn't have a spare at the moment nor did he think he could get one any time soon in his condition.

Usagi kept herself from fussing too much when Mamoru was lying down in his bed. Rei and the other girls, along with the Shitennou, managed to get the extra beds that Nate had ordered from his very full bank account. Rei never could figure out that no matter how much he spent, the same amount or more would always reside there. 

_A.N. Maybe Pluto's helping out a bit?_

When everything was situated, the group moving got to relax a bit. It was then that Rei saw Nate and Keagan critically surveying the place.

"What's wrong?" Ami asked.

Keagan and Nate looked at her, startled a bit at the question out of the silence. "Nothing's wrong," Nate answered.

"Then why are you frowning?" picked up Makoto.

"Because the place is rather small," Keagan responded. "Not only is it small, though, barely able to accommodate the five of us, it is not exactly the best place fit for a prince."

"I can see the small issue," Minako stated, "for the five of you, but just because it's small doesn't mean it isn't fit for a prince. It is for him, because Mamoru worked long and hard for what he does have. He makes it fit for a prince. If you talk to him about it, maybe he'll agree that when he gets better that you might look for a bigger place for you all or you all can get places of your own."

"True, if you put it like that," murmured Keagan slowly.

They had to practically drag Usagi away, but the girls knew it was time to leave. Jason touched Rei's arm as she passed him. "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" he whispered in her ear.

Never had Rei had any plans to say yes, though later on she said that it was the best thing she ever did. "Okay."

He smiled and she felt a fluttering in her stomach. She quickly left the room with her friends wondering why she felt so happy about what she had done.

End Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 12_

The Senshi had never been more nervous in her entire life; not once, even before extremely tough battles, had she been more filled with butterflies in her stomach. Her red dress, which she constantly waged war against wrinkles in it, exemplified her hair. But even as she knew this, she worried that perhaps Jason had meant something a little less formal. He hadn't even specified a time he was going to pick her up.

Her grandfather came into the room, looking unusually serious. "Rei, who is this man that you are going to dinner with?"

"He is a friend of mine. There is nothing between us."

"I never heard of him before."

"I never told you about Jason?" She acted surprised, but she knew she hadn't told him; for the same reason she hadn't told him she was Sailor Mars. It was for his safety as well as for theirs. Up until that point, though, she hadn't been quite sure she could trust this man to her grandfather.

"No, you haven't."

"He's nice and…he's himself." She couldn't think of any other way to describe Jason. She couldn't say, 'He's Jadeite' because that didn't describe him at all. Jason wasn't just Jadeite much the same way Jadeite wasn't just Jason. They both had distinctive traits that only surfaced in one of those forms and not the other. Such as in Jadeite's case, he had a habit of fidgeting with things in his hands to release some battle energy. Jason had a habit of making Rei laugh more with his silly jokes.

But there was something happening to the Shitennou that the Senshi and Mamoru were noticing more and more often. They seemed to take being their civilian forms so naturally that it made them wonder if they hadn't been human before they starting fighting them. Had they been born human and Beryl found them?

Her grandfather took her hand and her attention was brought back to where she was. One look in the mirror and she knew what her face had been like: pensive, thinking deeply about something very serious.

She attempted to smile at him, but it faltered as it crossed her lips. "I can feel him coming up the steps now, Rei. He has a power about him that I recognize but can't pinpoint. Promise me you will be careful around him."

Rei hoped her grandfather didn't remember the man that had helped out at the temple a year ago when she had become Sailor Mars. It would be so awkward to explain to him about what had been happening.

"Thank you, Grandfather. I promise I will."

When she left her room, she ran into Yuuichirou. He smiled when he saw her. "Hi, Rei-chan. You look really fantastic. Are you going somewhere tonight?"

"I have a date."

She watched as his face flashed into shock then sadness. "Oh. I understand."

"What's wrong, Yuuichirou?"

"Nothing."

Well Rei wasn't going to ask again. If he didn't say it the first time, it couldn't be that important, could it? "Okay, then. See you when I get back."

When she left the temple, she felt the gazes of her grandfather and Yuuichirou boring into her back, but she walked straight. Jason stood at the top of the stairs, in a black tuxedo which could have been a carbon copy of Tuxedo Kamen's. She smothered a smile and linked her arm through his.

  


The motorcycle wasn't there; instead, it was Nate's car. "I didn't think you would have the motorcycle anyway," she quipped.

He smiled and laughed. "I didn't think you would appreciate it messing up your hair and clothes tonight."

"You could have specified a time and the kind of place we were going, you know."

"I could have," he agreed blandly.

She nearly laughed. Being around Jason was as much fun as being around the girls; perhaps more so, since it was a different kind of…thing between them.

"So where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Rei made herself not question him to within an inch; it wasn't an inquisition. It was a date.

And that phrase set the butterflies going again. If she was going on a date with Jason, that meant he felt something for her other than friendship, right? Did she feel something more than friendship for him? 

A week ago, she would have answered no, but now she was not so sure. When she had seen him in that tuxedo and the way he had treated her, it made her wonder. Did she feel something special for him? By the way the butterflies were going, the answer would be yes.

"You can't mean here!" she gasped when he pulled up to the restaurant. "It's the most expensive one in town! You have to have reservations in advance to get in!"

"Normally, yes," Jason answered, smiling at her shock, "but Nathaniel Hawkin can pull a few strings for his friends and their dates."

Rei's car door opened and Jason held out his hand to her like she was a princess. Which she knew was true in another life, but in this one she was simply a priestess-in-training for a small temple that wasn't renowned except to the small part of town it was in.

She took his hand and he led her inside. A whispered word and they were led to a table near a window. Candles were lit and the waiter brought menus for them; he excused himself quietly.

"What is all this?"

"Rei, this is Jason here, not Jadeite, though he has his things to say to Mars." Jason smiled, a little forlornly. "I've wanted to go on a date with you for the longest time, but now that we are friends, it seemed the only feasible time in which to ask you."

Did that statement mean he felt something for her, or just as friends? But he had said he had wanted to go on a date with her for the longest time. "What is all this?" she repeated.

He took her hand in his own. "Rei, would you dance with me?"

She looked at the dance floor, populated sparsely with couples. "Okay."

When Jason took her in his arms, she admitted she did feel something more than friendship for him. The way he held her said the same thing and a warm feeling ignited her heart. No one had ever held her that way before; she had never held something like this before. 

He touched her heart in a way no one ever could and in a way that she couldn't describe to anyone else. 

"Jason?"

"Yes?" he murmured, holding her closer and swaying gently to the slow music.

"Were you once human before you were brainwashed into working for Beryl?"

He paused in his dancing a second and then resumed, but it was with tense shoulders. "Of course. I was an earthling and you were a Martian goddess."

"No, I meant…I meant after the Moon Kingdom fell."

This is a really good way to wreck an entire date, she thought as he became stiffer in her touch. "I don't remember."

"Do…do you ever feel like you want to know?" Rei risked a glance at his face and it was closed off. He looked away from her.

"I'm…not sure. It never occurred to me that I was anything but Jadeite, protector of the prince. I always will be, no matter what name I go under."

"And as I will always be the protector of the princess, no matter what name I go under," she agreed and rested her head on his shoulder.

After that small conversation, Jason loosened up again. As the music became a more loving song, the dancing between the two became a tad more sensual. Jason dipped her often, but Rei didn't object. Every moment she spent on that dance floor, the more she loved him. She closed her eyes and let the feelings wash over her.

The music seemed to go on forever and they dancing like it. He twirled her a few times, but most of the time kept her as close to him as he could. It was as timeless a moment that Rei never had had before and one that she was afraid would never happen again. Now she understood the need of Usagi to be around Mamoru; dimly how she must have felt to know that Mamoru had been badly injured and held captive in the Dark Kingdom for eight months, worried to death about him.

When the music finally drew to a close, there was applause, startling Rei to opening her eyes. All the couples had stopped dancing to watch them; all the people at the tables had watched them. She could see it in their eyes; how she saw Usagi and Mamoru, eternally and wonderfully beautiful in love, they saw her and Jason. She blushed.

Jason smiled and led her back to the table. The rest of the evening was a perfect joy to Rei. He was as a prince and she was a princess, back in the Silver Millennium. Everything around her conspired to remind her of a fallen time long ago, one that she missed as much as she loved living in this time.

But as much as she didn't want to end the evening, the end came. Not even she could stop time for them. There had been a Soldier in the Silver Millennium who could, but she couldn't remember meeting her that much. And she doubted the woman would have stopped time for her anyway. Her memory painted an image of a stern and aloof woman, completely devoted to her duty at the Time Gate as the other Senshi were to the princess.

Jason escorted her to the temple door and she invited him in for tea. Her grandfather seemed to be asleep and Yuuichirou was nowhere to be found. Hesitantly, her date agreed. 

It was a simple offer of a drink, but it turned into something else entirely. After a drink of tea, a simple kiss had come, but developed into something far more than a chaste touching of lips.

Rei had never felt anything like it in her entire life, especially when Jason's hands ran down her bare sides. If the nun knew….but there in that cocoon of love, age held no sway. The woman had sworn celibacy, but in doing so she had sworn off love. True, Rei acknowledged that love was not restricted to physical intimacy, but it was the ultimate way to express love. By saying she was celibate, wasn't she saying she was denying love?

She gasped as his lips kissed her neck tenderly. He leaned down and into her and Rei didn't feel like a 16 year old with a 21 year old. She felt ageless in his expert hands. He may have been older, but he was wiser in…this area than she was. 

When they joined, Rei could not think of any other moment that held the most exquisite amount of love and pleasure. Jason, his breathing heavy, lay down beside her, caressing her stomach and kissing her neck. She gasped a few times in the after-emotions, those cacophony of emotions that she wanted to live with the rest of her life. She wanted to live her entire life with Jason. And Mars wanted to live her entire life with Jadeite. 

Finally, Rei and Mars wanted the same thing for themselves: the love of this one man.

End Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 13_

Usagi touched Mamoru's hair lightly as he slept, in peace at last. She couldn't believe it; he was back and he was the same. Nothing would ever come between them again. There was no way she would let it. 

Everyone that should be in Mamoru's apartment were gone, doing other things. She knew she should leave, but she couldn't tear herself from his side. She knew her family must be worried about her, but her only thoughts seemed to be of him. 

"Oh, Selene," she whispered, kissing his forehead, "thank you for bringing him back." 

Usagi knew, as surely as the goddess must have known, she had been on the brink of losing everything, her emotions, her love, her sanity, without him. Had he not come back, Usagi would have just drawn into herself and let the outside world play around her.

But now that he was back…everything was right again. And because of all this, they had gotten four new allies that had once been enemies. She cocked her head to one side. Her Senshi were coming around to them, but slowly. Rei and Minako had made the most progress in that area.

Makoto, she had been strong to allow the Shitennou to stay with her when they had been unsure about them. Usagi couldn't imagine anyone's courage surpassing her Jovian Senshi's. 

"You should go home; you're family will be worried about you."

Usagi started and looked down into Mamoru's loving blue eyes. She smiled softly. "I know, but I can't leave you."

"I love you, Usako."

Those words were all that Usagi had ever wanted to hear come from his lips. She cried and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you too, Mamo-chan."

Ami found herself walking aimlessly in the park, something she had never indulged in before. She didn't want to study, for once in her life. But then, what was her studying worth if she wasn't alive to do it? 

Beryl, she knew, was not sitting back and biting her nails. She was pulling all her power together for one awesome strike. Ami wasn't entirely sure if she would survive, if any of them would. 

Oh, she wasn't in the least worried that Usagi would survive. The other Inners, including herself, would lay down their lives to make her that way, as would Mamoru. But Ami was hoping Mamoru and Usagi would make it out alive together. 

It wasn't so much death that bothered Ami, but what would happen after that? Would peace truly come or would Beryl find a way to survive and torment them again? And would the entire Inner Senshi die, or just certain ones, or would everyone survive? Even the Kings?

The Shitennou had been on her mind lately. Was there any conflict between loyalties in their minds or were they clear? Had they once been human? The way they had taken to their civilian names and in particular the ones they chosen suggested so. But why could they remember the past and not the life they might have once had then? Because they had spent so much time as Shitennou for Beryl?

A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped. "What are you thinking about?"

"Zale," she whispered, breathing a tad heavily, "you startled me. I was just thinking about what Beryl is going to do."

He looked away. "I know. I worry about it."

"So do I."

They meandered in silence until something caught Ami's eye. "Is that…who I think it is?"

Zale followed her pointing finger and his jaw dropped. "I believe so."

Minako, with her arm linked through Keagan's, was taking a stroll. From the look of her, they had been on a date. Then she noticed the looks from the other people: jealous at the happy and beautiful couple and disapproval.

"Why would they disapprove?" Zale asked, uncannily reading her mind.

Ami blushed. "How old is Keagan?"

"22."

"Minako-chan's 16," she stated quietly.

His eyebrows drew together. "I understand the age difference, but what does that matter when someone is in love?"

"I don't think age affects anything either, but older people were not raised to believe so. I think they believe that there must be an ulterior motive to all of it. Or perhaps they think it is purely intimacy; sometimes older men take a fancy to girls."

She watched as Zale's hand tightened into a fist and his clouds of anger formed in his eyes. "Keagan's intentions towards Minako are purely honorable," he hissed. "He would never do that to her, to anyone."

"I don't believe that because I know him; I know everything going on and about the groups. But other people do not. They simply see the surface and judge on that. It is like this analogy: I look like a weak Senshi so they attack me, but just because I look weak doesn't mean I can't fight at all. They judge the surface and appearance."

Zale forced himself to remain calm. "I'm happy for them, I truly am," he whispered.

"So am I."

He didn't say anything and she touched his arm. He looked at her and she was caught by his green eyes. They were so deep, those bottle-green eyes. They weren't emerald, like Makoto's; more pale than that.

"Let's go. I think the library beckons us."

Zale smiled and nodded. "Lead the way, milady."

She giggled and the two walked off.

Makoto thrust her hand toward her opponent. He easily caught her fist, but didn't have such an easy time of turning it to his advantage. "I'm not so easily fought," she gasped.

Nate grunted. "No, I concede that you are not, though I never once suspected you would be. If you were easy to fight, the Dark Kingdom would have had this world by now."

She smiled. "Thanks."

A few more minutes passed until they both called it quits. "Have you seen Rei-chan today?" she asked, puzzled. 

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I don't know, but she's usually out and about today, with one of us. Where would she be? Do you think she's fighting and can't call us?"

"No."

Makoto looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

He looked up toward the sun, squinting and shading his eyes. "The stars say…" He nearly gasped and a look of unequalled shock covered his features.

"What?" she demanded, her henshin wand in her hand.

Nate looked at her in surprise. "Jason and Rei…"

One look at his face and hers went beet red. So _that's _where she was. Sheepishly she put her wand away and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"When do you think Mamoru-san will recover?" she asked, trying vainly to change the subject.

He gave her an amused and sympathetic glance, but silently agreed with the change in topic. "I suppose, with Usagi caring for him, not all that long at that. Possibly by next week."

Her expression turned worrisome. "You don't suppose Beryl will make one final attempt at this planet and destroy us, do you?"

"Attack again? Yes. Destroy us? No, not with the Sailor Senshi here."

"But, we are not as powerful as we used to be in the Silver Millennium and she destroyed it easily."

"Makoto," She looked at him, "Beryl was that powerful in the Silver Millennium, but she isn't as powerful now either. That makes you equal in this time."

"Nate? What did it feel like, working for Beryl and Metallia?" she asked hesitantly.

He looked away and assumed more of the role of Nephrite. "You mean after I was released from her control and could think about it without retching?" he said dryly. "It was the most horrible thing I've ever felt in my entire life. The feeling of betrayal is something you can't even begin to describe. You wouldn't know what it would feel like; you would never betray the princess."

_And you did_, she translated from the potent air. "Nate…"

"Don't say anything, Makoto," he told her gruffly. "Just let this be. Let me figure this one out on my own."

She nodded and they meandered down the sidewalk in silence. 

Mamoru woke up to weak sunlight coming through his apartment window into his bedroom. The sound of heavy breathing drew his attention to a chair placed next to the door. He had known from the beginning that it wasn't Usagi, she didn't sleep that heavily, but he honestly didn't expect to see Keagan sleeping in the chair.

He managed to pull himself to a sitting position and holding in his hiss of pain. He was barely remembering Kunzite and the others as his Shitennou, but it was slowly coming back.

"Are you all right?"

The black-haired man nearly jumped and stared into his friend's silver gray eyes. "I thought you were sleeping," he protested.

Keagan shook his head and it was when Mamoru was looking into his eyes that he saw the trained reflexes that not even Time could wipe away, ones that would awaken him the second his prince moved.

Mamoru smiled a little at him. "I'm fine," he responded to his earlier question. "You didn't have to sleep in that chair."

"Yes I did."

He was not expecting that sort of answer. 'No, I didn't, but I did anyway' was the sort of answer that he could have dealt with, but not this blunt, 'Yes I did'.

"Why?"

"Because you are our prince and we must guard you." Before he could be let down on this answer, Keagan continued. "But because, first and foremost, you are our brother-in-arms, like the Senshi are sisters-in-arms. You're our friend and that is why I had to."

"Oh."

Mamoru stumbled from the bed and immediately found Keagan's arm around his shoulders, helping him and supporting him. He had a flash of déjà vu, like this had happened before a long time ago, but no memory attached. 

"Zale is making us breakfast, or so it was said last night," was the dry statement from somewhere around his ear. After all, Keagan was about an inch or two taller than he.

"I didn't know Zale could cook," Mamoru commented as Keagan helped him into the bathroom to take care of the necessaries.

"Apparently he can."

His voice became muffled as the door blocked it, but Mamoru didn't have much trouble making out the words.

"Keagan! Where are you?" demanded Jason's irate voice.

"In Mamoru's bedroom."

"Is he coming?"

"In a minute."

"Tell him to hurry it up, whatever he's doing!"

"Did you get that?"

Mamoru chuckled and opened the door. Keagan's wry smile was all he needed to see. Now he really felt what Usagi felt with her friends. The roles weren't exactly counterparts, such as with Keagan and Minako, but they all more or less fulfilled each one. The only one that might be the same would be Zale and Ami.

Slowly he allowed Keagan to support him and lead him to his kitchen, which now looked pitifully small with the five men crowded in it.

"We're going to have to get another apartment," Keagan murmured, looking around. Mamoru had to agree with him.

End Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 14_

Sailor Moon rubbed the back of her head and blinked to clear her vision. This was _all too familiar. Only this time, instead of fighting against the Shitennou, they were fighting with them. However, Beryl seemed to have __other generals at her disposal. These five were quite ugly of face, but powerful of body. All were made for bulk work, used physical attacks most of the time, unlike the Shitennou, which were a perfect blend of physical and magical weapons and armament._

Tuxedo Kamen grabbed her arm and ran with her away from the battle. She demanded to know why until he pointed behind her as they stood higher on a swing set. The Inner Senshi with one Shitennou apiece split up and one general followed each pair until there was only one general left. He spotted them and Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen lured him on farther from his fighting companions.

It was a close thing, but they managed to back him into a corner. Unfortunately, realizing his compromising position enraged him and he charged toward the two like a bull. Though Tuxedo Kamen did most of the fighting, Sailor Moon was gratified to know that she got in a few good hits now and again.

"Earth Tornado!"

Sailor Moon started to hear such a strange attack come from her beloved's mouth. A circle of rocks hailed a spiral curtain of projectiles around the evil general and surrounded him in a tornado of earthen fury. 

He was caught and knew it; she saw it in his eyes, how they widened in horror. He was bruised and bloodied as he teleported away from the battlefield.

"Mamo-chan?" she called tentatively.

Tuxedo Kamen started and looked at her. "What?"

"Where did that come from?"

He looked down at his hands, as if they didn't belong to him. "I don't know. It was like I knew it all along, didn't have to think about it. Why? Why did I develop such a new attack, now of all things? Perhaps we will need it in the future." His expression turned grim at the thought of Metallia's attacks.

Sailor Moon wrapped her arms around his chest and he looked down at her in surprise. Instinctively, he held her close to him.

Finally she said, "Let's go find the others."

Easier said than done, apparently. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen waited for a bit in the center of the park, but when people began to filter back in, they were forced to leave. 

"Maybe we're just passing them," she suggested as they passed the same spot twice.

"Maybe we should head back to the temple."

"Let's check on the communicator." 

Immediately his hand clamped down on hers, gripping her but not hurting her. "Remember, we said radio silence, Usako." 

She sighed, remembering a disappointing bit of information from the Shitennou. They had learned the frequency of the Senshi's communicators, making talking over them meant taking a greater amount of risk with their identities. There were a few code phrases and words that would only mean something to another Senshi, but those were few and hard to think of on the spot.

They slipped quietly up the stairs and stopped when they heard raised voices._ Mars…and Jadeite,_ she thought as they stopped. She almost detransformed, but her beloved's restraining hand stopped her. She looked at him in surprise and he held a finger to his lips for quiet. Tugging her wrist in the way he wanted her to go, they managed to slip behind some trees and looked toward the courtyard.

Not only Mars and Jadeite were there, but all the others as well. And they were all arguing at the top of their lungs. Well, all except Mercury, who stood to the side of the yelling mob and watched, resigned.

It took a few minutes to discern what the fight was about, but when she did, she gasped. She immediately bit her lip in consternation, but the Senshi didn't hear something as low as that.

"How dare you say that? We've got to find her NOW!" screamed Mars, a few inches away from Jadeite's face.

He glowered back at her. "Look, I'm sure they're fine. They're probably coming back now. You were one that was advocating the radio silence thing."

"Just because we agreed upon the necessity of it," Venus growled, "doesn't mean that we have to like it. They could be bleeding somewhere or dying and we would never know it."

"What is this argument really about?" demanded Zoisite. "The lack of the Prince and Princess, or the fact that we have imposed a radio silence?"

"Shut up, Zoisite!" yelled Jupiter, smacking him in the arm. 

"Don't tell him to shut up when it's a legitimate question!" responded Kunzite immediately.

"I thought you were supposed to be impartial, Kunzite," she retorted.

"I don't see anyone being impartial about all this," was Nephrite's rejoinder.

"We need to break this up," Sailor Moon whispered to Tuxedo Kamen.

"No," he replied just as quietly. "They need to learn to work together on their own without us to oversee them. If they always need us to come to a decision together, we'll lose the war against Beryl and Metallia."

Mercury whistled harshly and when she had all their attentions, she glared at them all impartially. "Thank you. If you all don't stop yelling, someone will come and find the Senshi and Shitennou standing in front of the Hikawa Shrine. Then it will be all over the papers, Beryl will pick it up, and she'll figure out who we are. We don't want that. So, please let's discuss this quietly and rationally."

Venus took a deep breath. "Mercury's right; we need to work together if we are to do anything with each other, much less find the Prince and Princess."

"But we've searched for hours for them!" hissed Mars, minding to keep her voice low.

"Yes we have, but—"

"Then what do we do?" demanded Jupiter.

"We have a few options," Kunzite said calmly. Too calmly, Sailor Moon thought, considering the fact that he had been yelling like everyone else a few minutes ago. "We can either break the radio silence, go look for them some more, or we can stay here and wait to see if they come here."

"Or we can send a few to look and keep a few here," added Zoisite.

"Which has more merit?" asked Jadeite.

"I'm for the breaking up and sending a few to look and keep a few here," Nephrite chipped in. "It has the most probable area of success."

"Suppose they're out looking for us?" Mercury brought in. "What if the searching teams miss them?"

"Can't you find them with your powers, Rei-chan?" Venus questioned.

Mars looked surprised at the question, but regrettably shook her head. "No, I've already tried. They must have been so far away that I couldn't get a lock unless I meditated and sat in front of the fire. That would have taken hours so I didn't do it."

"How long ago did you try it?" Kunzite asked, his brow furrowed in thought.

"About a half-an-hour ago."

"Look," Venus began, and they all looked at her, "I think we should split up and look. Jupiter, Zoisite, Kunzite and I will look. Mars will try her psychic powers here and Nephrite can try to read the stars. Mercury can try scanning with her computer and Jadeite can help her. I'd prefer to keep pairings of two, no more, no less, which is why I thought to keep you here, Jadeite."

Kunzite nodded. "I concur."

Tuxedo Kamen nodded and they slipped back toward the stairs and approached their friends. Just as they had been about to leave.

"Usagi-chan!" her Senshi cried and surrounded her with hugs. 

Sailor Moon smiled and looked into his eyes. He winked back and she giggled. But she wasn't giggling when she saw behind the Shitennou, where no one was looking, Yuuichirou and Rei's grandfather watching them. Yuuichirou's eyes were wide, but the older man was studying them with a shrewd look in his eyes.

No one noticed her preoccupied and horrified glance. The Senshi continued to joke around and the Shitennou were talking to her Prince. There was no way to delicately say that they were being watched. Even if they had come in a few seconds ago and had not been watching the argument like her and Tuxedo Kamen, they would know who they were because the Senshi and Shitennou were using their civilian names, thinking they were alone.

She squeaked as Rei's grandfather shifted a millimeter and immediately the mood switched from relaxed to tense. The Senshi whirled around, placing themselves between her and the imagined threat.

"Well, Rei-chan, this is what you do outside school."

Mars exchanged glances with all the fighters for justice and gulped. She looked back at her grandfather and attempted to salvage a secret identity. They both knew it wouldn't work, but she gave her friend points for trying.

"I…am not this Rei person you refer to, sir, but Sailor Mars, third-in-command of the Sailor Senshi."

He gave her a sideways look. "Nice try."

Her shoulders slumped and she buried her face in her gloved hands. "Is it true, Rei-chan?" asked Yuuichirou.

For a moment, Sailor Moon was afraid she would attack them, risking their deaths for the duty and secret of the identities of the Senshi, but she just shook her head after a tense moment. 

"Yuuichirou," Venus said lowly, without the slightest smile on her face, a face that the two knew was always smiling, "shut up. Before you do or say something you're gonna regret later."

"I think we should go inside and talk," said the old man, with surprising compassion for the uncomfortable fighters.

The Shitennou and Tuxedo Kamen, who had gone unnoticed for the moment, attempted to slink away. His old but powerful voice crackled across the silence and stopped them in their tracks.

"You too, boys. Where did you think you were going?"

Resignedly, the ten fighters filed into the shrine, Mars' eyes not meeting her grandfather's. There was the slam of a door and then he and Yuuichirou were standing in front of them in the dim interior.

"Do…" Sailor Moon faltered under his gaze as it snapped to her. "Do you suppose you could leave us a bit of privacy to de-henshin?"

His mouth tightened but he nodded and dragged the gawking young man out with him as he left.

Slowly they were back to civilian forms. "What do we tell him?" Usagi whispered fearfully.

Her friends shook their heads in helpless silence.

And then he was back, by himself.

"Where's Yuuichirou?" asked Makoto in surprise.

"I sent him to do chores," was the gruff reply. "Now sit down. I want to know exactly what this is all about."

So they gathered around the small table in Rei's room and explained all the questions that her grandfather thought to ask. For a moment, it almost looked like that he would punish the Soldier of Fire for her role, but he just sat, looking at the tabletop as though it held all the secrets of the universe.

"So that's where you kept going at night. I was afraid it was to some boy's house or something," he said faintly.

"Why would you think that?" she demanded.

"Because…never mind. Rei-chan?" She looked at him. "I'm proud of you. You and your friends can always come here if you need to."

"What are you going to do about Yuuichirou?" wondered Minako aloud.

"I can think of a few ideas, but the one that would most likely work is much more fun." And oddly enough for the grave situation, he began to smile. "I think a visit from five powerful male fighters would take a warning of dire silence to heart."

"Why male fighters?" demanded Makoto. "Think we can't do something like that?"

"But Mako-chan," started Ami, a slow smile forming on her lips, "don't you think that Mamoru and the Shitennou look so much more intimidating in the fading light?"

She grudgingly admitted that they did.

"I think a warning from them would keep him quiet about it," said the older man seriously. "It's the only way I can think of that would make him keep his mouth shut, even when he's nervous or his tongue is loose."

"I'll let them do it, just so long as I can see what they say to him," grumbled Makoto.

In the end, it was decided that the five men would approach Yuuichirou alone and give him a word of warning. Makoto and Rei weren't happy about it, they thought the Senshi would be more intimidating, but they had been overruled by Rei's grandfather and Ami, of all people.

Yuuichirou never mentioned the Senshi again after that night. The girls wondered what was said exactly because he looked at them, even Rei, strangely since then. But no amount of questioning provided answers, only satisfied and amused smirks.

End Chapter 14.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it.

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 15_

"Now we make allowances for your religion, Mr. Hino, but it has gone too far. We are very concerned about Ms. Hino."

Rei wanted to die; the nun who had disliked her riding home with Jason was at it again, only this time she had called a parent-teacher conference with her grandfather. How embarrassing!

"I have met Mr. Kaimen and I trust him. I would not allow my granddaughter to ride with him if I did not."

"We are concerned that perhaps he would like something physical from Ms. Hino," the nun argued.

Rei's temper flared, but her grandfather put a restraining hand on her arm. He calmly turned back to the nun-teacher. "I think you should meet someone, especially Mr. Kaimen, before you make such an assumption. I also think we have covered all the issues here today. If you'll excuse us, we have the temple to care for."

Her grandfather beside her, they walked back to the temple with her book bag heavy in her hand. She had told Jason not to come to pick her up that day when the nun told her that she had wanted to speak to her grandfather. 

"Rei-chan, I trust Jason, I do, and I know there are some things that a grandfather shouldn't know so I won't ask, but tell me if he is bothering you."

"Ojii-chan, do you remember who Jason is? Sometimes when he picks me up, we get a call and it's faster to get to the meeting or emergency that way, with me already on his bike."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, but fine. I'm not going to stop him from picking you up since it seems to benefit both you and him on more than one level."

"Thank you, Ojii-chan," she whispered as they walked up the stairs. "You don't have to worry."

He gave her a sad, lopsided grin. "I'm your grandfather; it's my job to worry."

Jason was waiting for Rei's school to let out the next day, on his motorcycle as usual, when a nun stormed up to him. He had no idea what to make of it as she ordered him to follow her. Amused, he shut off his bike and did as she said.

"Sit down, Mr. Kaimen."

When she said his name, he immediately got suspicious. His movements slower, more cautious in case of something like a trap from, as unlikely as it was, Beryl, he sat down.

"We have talked with Ms. Hino several times, and even with her grandfather, and both are convinced you are to be trusted. However, we at this school are worried about her continual involvement with you. Are you interested in something physical from Ms. Hino?"

It took Jason a moment to understand what she was talking and asking about. Then he couldn't believe that she would dare presume, without even knowing him, that he would take advantage of Rei. Sure, that night had happened, but it had not been planned and when they had woken up, Rei had assured him that she had not felt taken advantage of. She had even told him she loved him.

Why hadn't Rei told him about this thing at school though? "I don't think it's any of your business, but if you will stop asking Rei and her grandfather, then I'll answer: absolutely not. We have a special relationship, not one that involves physical intimacy."

"What kind of 'special relationship' do you have then?" she demanded, her eyes lowering in suspicion.

He hesitated in saying they were in love; he'd seen some of the reactions of the people living here. They did not, at the very least, approve of such a relationship. He couldn't say that they were protectors of the Earth for obvious reasons. But…

The bell rang loud in the classroom. "We work together, a bit, on projects that our interests coincide with. And our 'special relationship' that you put such suspicion and disdain on is one of deep and abiding friendship and respect." _Among other feelings, he thought silently._

"How old are you, Mr. Kaimen?"

Taken aback, he answered, "20."

"Do you know how old Ms. Hino is?"

"I never really thought about it, but she's 16."

"And you 'work together' as you put it? You are four years older than her, a working man in the world, and she a school girl who takes care of a temple who does not have a job. What 'work' could you do together?"

He, of course, had been referring to working together against the evil forces attempting to destroy the Earth, but she didn't and wasn't to know that. But he had to answer something. If he didn't answer this question, it would look like he was lying. And despite the fact that he knew Rei's grandfather would let her ride home with him, the school still had some power and could put a restraining order from him coming near the building and Rei. He may have been in the Dark Kingdom for a while, but that didn't mean he was ignorant of this world. And the more he was Jason and not Jadeite, the more he seemed to know about this world that he had not learned before…

"Well, though I don't actively do martial arts work anymore, we do spar a bit in that area. And I like to listen to her sing, and I do write poems, some. She likes to make them into songs and such. We both take an active interest in" _Saving the world_, he playfully thought, "certain areas of religion. I'm really rather knowledgeable about the kinds of gods that are worshiped in the major religions, such as Christianity, around the world."

"Somehow you don't strike me as the type of person to be interested in religion," she commented dryly. "Or is it a sudden interest, inspired by certain things about Ms. Hino?"

Jason couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up abruptly and she looked at him in surprise. Placing his hands on the desk, he bent down so he could look her in the eye. "Don't insult me again, whoever you are. I have answered your questions in full, civilly, and without complaint or verbal injury to you. But my patience does not last forever, and you have already insulted me by thinking that I would lay a finger like that on Rei without her consent. She herself is very strong-willed and will go places in life and is and would be very careful in that insinuated area you constantly bring up. Do not speak with me again unless it is to apologize."

He stormed from the building and out into a near empty courtyard. Rei was standing by his bike, looking for him. Just the glance of her was enough to calm him and make him smile.

"Rei," he whispered in her ear, able, for once, to sneak up behind her.

She jumped, but turned and smiled. "Where were you?"

"One of your very forceful nuns called me into the school building." He looked at her seriously. "Why didn't you tell me they were bothering you because I take you home every day?"

She lifted her chin proudly. "Because it's my problem."

"Is the nun I talked to the same one who kept asking you questions?"

"Probably not. The nun I keep talking to isn't forceful, rather quiet and gentle. The one you talked to is the head nun; no one cares to be on the bottom end of her tongue."

His hand twitched to touch her and she noticed. She lowered her head a bit so she could look at him straight and whispered, "You can touch me, you know. I'm not going to bite you."

Jason looked back at the building and to her again. "I can't. Not with them watching. The people here don't approve of us together, you know that."

"I don't care what they think," she said forcefully.

"I don't either, but they can make things difficult for us as it is."

Rei sighed. "You're right about that part; I'm not naïve enough to think that they won't. We're not like Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san."

"What's different with them?"

"The school doesn't know their dating and neither does her father, but her mother knows. Everybody thinks they're so cute together that they don't want to interfere with their relationship. Besides, Mamoru-san is 18, not 20."

Jason grabbed his helmet and started up his bike. She tied her hair up with the red ribbon he had given her the second time he had come to pick her up two months ago and readied herself behind him. She laid her head on his shoulder as he started down the street.

He touched her hand lightly as they waited for the light to change and she entwined her fingers through his. He sighed and longed to kiss her. His hand tightened around hers and the returning pressure from hers said she did as well.

"We're going to see Mamoru's new apartment," he told her quietly and she nodded. They drove down the street silently.

Minako was looking around the apartment when Rei and Jason arrived. She vaguely heard an apology for being late before Rei joined her in one of the master bedrooms.

"How many bedrooms does this thing have?" she whispered.

"Five," answered Minako promptly. She turned to her friend. "Rei-chan? Can I ask you something?"

Her black-haired friend nodded and turned to her.

"Are you involved with Jason?"

She knew Rei knew exactly what kind of 'involved' she meant. And it showed by her balled fists.

"Why does everyone have to ask that? Can't I have a private life?" she demanded lowly.

Minako's eyes widened. "What do you mean, Rei-chan? I only ask because I'm the Senshi of Love and I feel something coming from Jason and you."

Her shoulders slumped, as if the fight went out of her. "Yes. I want to be with him forever and not hide our relationship, but we're having problems with everyone around us besides you all."

'You all' of course meant the Senshi. She smiled gently at her friend. "You think you've got problems? At least your grandfather will let you near him. My parents won't let Keagan even come near the house because they're afraid I'll date him. I'm 16 and he's 22, two years older than Jason. Keagan picks me up about half a block from my house, far enough away that my parents can't see. My school doesn't care, but the girls sure do. You should see the looks I get."

As she had planned, Rei smiled and laughed. "You're right, you've got it worse than me. Are all the Senshi having relationships with the Shitennou?"

"Not all. Ami-chan and Zale-chan are going out, though they won't admit it, though we all know it and so do they. Mako-chan and Nate-chan aren't going out."

"Why? She wouldn't have a problem at all. No parents to worry about her, no school to get involved since Usagi-chan's doesn't care…Maybe she doesn't like him like that?"

"Oh no, she likes him like that, badly," Minako confirmed, "but I don't know why she won't go out with him. And she won't talk to me at all about it. The only thing she'll tell me is that she likes him so bad that sometimes she can't sleep at nights, now that the Shitennou no longer live with her."

"Has he asked her out?"

"No. I have no idea if he likes her or not. That's why I have commissioned Keagan today to find out if he does."

Rei's eyebrows rose. "Keagan? Find out about a love topic? You're joking."

"He said he'd try. But I was hoping you could get Jason to unobtrusively snoop around as well. I've already told Ami-chan to ask Zale, but I may have to do that myself. You know Ami-chan…"

Rei rolled her eyes. "I know Ami-chan."

"Minako-chan?"

"I'm in the master bedroom," she answered to the unknown voice.

Suddenly the light from the doorway was cut off and the girls turned to find it filled with a large frame. They were a bit alarmed until it walked forward and was shown to be Keagan and Nate.

"I think you should be getting home now, otherwise you'll be late."

She nodded reluctantly and left. 

"Did you find anything out?" she asked in the car.

"For pities sake, Minako, give me some time," he answered with a smile. "I haven't been alone with him for a moment yet. Besides, if I don't find something out, I'm sure Jason, Zale, or Mamoru will."

"Zale or Mamoru?"

"Yeah, didn't you know? Ami told Usagi the problem with your request and Usagi said she would handle it. She cornered Zale alone, for once not in the company of Ami, and told him bluntly what to do. He agreed. She also told Mamoru, who wouldn't be able to say no to her even if she asked him to destroy the Earth."

Minako laughed as they parked near the sidewalk far enough away from her house not to be seen but close enough that she could be home in less than two minutes.

Hesitantly, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. It was their first kiss and Keagan responded to it as though he had wanted to kiss her his whole life. She left the car walking on air.

End Chapter 15

Ages:

I changed the ages around a bit, so I thought I'd write it down here:

Tsukino Usagi: 15

Hino Rei: 16

Kino Makoto: 16

Aino Minako: 16

Mizuno Ami: 16

Chiba Mamoru: 18

Nathaniel Hawkin (Nephrite): 21

Keagan MacNeal (Kunzite): 22 (for those of you who read 'Angelic Embrace', yes the last name is the same. I love the name Keagan so I had to use it again. Besides, Kunzite looks like a Keagan to me.)

Jason Kaimen (Jadeite): 20

Zale Taencer (Zoisite): 21


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 16_

Makoto rolled over in her sleep and buried her head under her pillow when the noise interrupted her. She knew it was her telephone and not her communicator; long ago, she'd learned to distinguish between them.

She opened an eye and looked at the clock. Nine a.m. Saturday. No reason to get up. Then her answering machine clicked on and she nearly had a heart attack as she listened to the dispassionate voice speaking her death sentence. They had found her.

"Kino Makoto, this is from the Social Services department. We have been informed that you are 16, and living without parental supervision. The money that you have been receiving from your parents insurance will be held back until such time that we find you a suitable home for you to live in. We will be by in two days to pick you up."

Beep.

"My GODS!" she screamed, panicking. "First Beryl and now this! My life sucks!"

She snatched up the phone, still wearing her pink and green pajamas, and punched in one of four different numbers that came into her head.

"Moshi Moshi?" asked a sleepy voice.

"Usagi-chan!" Makoto whined into the phone, her voice gone to new octaves in her distress. "They're going to take away everything! I can't pay my rent without the check and now they won't send it to me! You have to help me, Usagi-chan! Please!!"

By now, Usagi was thoroughly alarmed. "I have no idea what you're talking about Mako-chan, but I'll get the girls and we'll be there soon!"

Makoto paced nervously until the Senshi burst in through her window, ready to fight. While she was still upset, the irony of it all amused her. "As much as I'd like to see you all fry the Social Services department, I don't think the Senshi are that necessary."

Mars glared at Moon. "She said we had to be here pronto, that you needed help."

"I do," Makoto said, her amusement dying a quick death. "Listen!"

And they listened as they detransformed. "Oh, Mako-chan," Ami whispered as the beep sounded the end of the message.

"What am I going to do? I can't pay my rent without that check!"

"Have you really been hiding from them? For how long?" wondered Minako.

"Ever since my parents died. I was in the orphanage for a while, but when I turned 14, I sent a letter to the insurance, telling them to send the check to a new address and I moved in by myself. I've moved and hid carefully because the Social Services won't let their claws out of you until you're 18. They'll put me in a foster home, perhaps somewhere far away, and then I couldn't help you fight Beryl."

"It's true," Mamoru said quietly and his Shitennou looked at him in surprise. It was obvious they had not been told of his past, living in the orphanage. "They won't let you be until you are 18 and considered legally an adult."

"What do we do?" Rei asked at large.

"We can support her, money wise," Nate said hesitantly.

Makoto shook her head. "I don't want to do that, not if I can help it. I mean, I've been living on my own for a long while and I would like to be able to keep standing on my feet by myself. It's not that I don't appreciate the help, really I do, but…"

"You've made it so far by yourself, accomplished so much as it is, that you don't want to feel as if someone is taking it all away," Mamoru responded.

Makoto nodded, relieved that he could put her feelings into words.

"How do you know that, Mamoru-kun?" Jason demanded.

"Because I lived in an orphanage when my parents died."

"You never told us that!" Zale blurted out.

"I don't like to talk about it," was the short reply.  His Shitennou wisely dropped the subject, though by their hard eyes Makoto knew it would be brought up again later that day, when the five men were alone. They really knew nothing about their prince, she thought.

"But what do I do now?"

"One of the men could play an uncle that you found," Usagi suggested.

Makoto shook her head. "They know I have no living relatives; they checked when my parents died, trying to put me with them instead of putting me in an orphanage."

"What about the Senshi visiting the…Well, that wouldn't work," Minako muttered.

"There's no way out of this. Even if I took financial support from anyone else, they would still look for a home for me and come get me anyway."

"Well we just have to hide you again," Jason said slowly.

"But without the check, I can't afford another apartment."

Rei put her hand on her shoulder and gave her a sad, wary look. "Mako-chan, I know you want to stand on your own feet and live on your own, but we need you to move so you can hide again. If you don't have the check, you'll have to accept help from Nate. None of us can afford for you to be placed in a foster home; we NEED you to fight with us against Beryl. But more than that, we need you with us as our friend. Who knows where they would put you if you were in a foster home."

Makoto sank down onto her sofa and put her head in her hands. "I know, you're right. I just didn't want…want to accept there was nothing I could do on my own."

"I understand how you feel, Mako-chan," Mamoru told her, "but I had to move on, realize I needed help and a new apartment, when the guys came. With all the attacks by Beryl, I don't have time to get a job, the one I lost when I was in the Dark Kingdom. Nate is supporting all five of us. I realized I needed help and when I accepted that help, nothing really changed. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages." He smiled at his newfound friends and guards.

"I guess if you put it like that…but how am I going to move all my stuff into a new apartment, let alone find one, in two days?"

"Come on, Mako-chan," Minako said brightly, "we're Senshi; we can save the world. Do you think we can't find you a place to live and move in, in two days?"

Makoto shrugged, not hoping. She should have had more faith.

The green Senshi fell full on her bed, thinking. Minako had been right, though by millimeters. They had really pushed it and found her a nice, low paying apartment in half a day, mostly because of Ami and Nate. They had spent the other half of that day and the next day dragging every single bit of furniture to that new apartment, setting record time for any moving crew.

Of course, that still left getting the stuff INTO the apartment, and a lot of her furniture was old and heavy and not even the five guys could carry it up the stairs, since her sofas and bed wouldn't fit in the elevator.

So when night had fallen, the Senshi and Shitennou had arrived to help out the struggling humans. It had been a fairly simple, but still heavy, procedure by the Shitennou and Tuxedo Kamen standards. They had ended up caring all the big stuff up 15 flights of stairs and to her new apartment. The other girls had brought the boxes and such up after.

She had tried, then, to convince them to go home, but they had insisted on staying and fixing up the apartment. The guys had moved furniture to her desired places while the girls unpacked and plugged in stuff as fast as they could.

But even with all the speed they had had, it was morning by the time they were done. It was also Wednesday, a school day. The girls had detransformed and jumped into cars to take them to their school. It had been a close call and they had barely made it on time. The day before, the girls had made a round of phone calls to parents saying sleepover at Rei's. Suspicious, Minako's father had called the Shrine and Rei's grandfather had covered for them when they had explained what was going on.

Of course, Luna had informed Makoto, Ami, and Usagi at lunch that the guys had immediately went to sleep when they got home. Artemis had been sent to Rei's school to inform her that Jason would not be picking her up that afternoon, as he was currently dead to the world in his bed.

Even studious Ami had fallen asleep a few times in class, nearly giving one of Usagi's teachers a heart attack. She had certainly fainted dead away and had had to be awakened by the principal himself.

As they had been leaving school and met up with Minako and Rei, another attack by Beryl in front of the TV station had forced them to fight. Makoto had to hand it to Jupiter and that strange but wonderful fuku. The girls had nearly been dead on their feet, but when they had transformed, it had given them a little energy in which to fight. They also had had to fight on their own because the guys didn't answer their communicators or show up.

But what was even worse, for Minako, Rei, Usagi, and Ami at least, was that they couldn't just sleep when they got home. It would be extremely suspicious if they had a sleepover the night before and didn't seem to sleep at all. Makoto, of course, had no such problem.

Yet when she had come home, she was too full of leftover energy from Jupiter to sleep it seemed, though her body pointedly refused to move at all. Her communicator beeped and she sluggishly managed to grab it. "Yes?" she mumbled into it. If Beryl attacked again, Makoto was ready to just let her have the goddamn world; she didn't care, she was so tired and she refused to get up, period.

"Makoto?" Nate's voice asked. "Are you all right? Sorry, none of the guys heard the communicator when it went off. Luna and Artemis just told us about the battle. Are you all fine?"

"Perfectly," she muttered, yawning and giving Nate a good view of her molars. "I'm just going to sleep now. You can have night watch if you don't go to bed tonight."

"All right. Get some sleep Makoto; we did a good job."

"Tell the other guys I said thanks for the help," she said before clicking off and falling asleep.

Nate tossed the communicator on the coffee table and looked up at his friends. "The only one I got on communicator was Makoto. I couldn't get a hold of any of the other girls, but Makoto said they were fine. She's going to sleep now because she didn't get any before. She also said to say that she thanks us for helping fix up the apartment."

"She's entirely welcome," Zale commented and sat down in one of the easy chairs.

"Nate, can we ask you something?" Jason said suddenly.

Nate then looked at them for the first time it seemed. They were in a semicircle in front of him, each watching him soberly. "Sure. Is something wrong?"

"Um, answer this: how do you feel about Makoto?"

The brown-haired Shitennou looked long and hard at Zale. "What do you mean?"

"He means how do you feel about Makoto," repeated Mamoru, not clarifying anything.

"Well, she's nice and all, funny, pretty I guess…"

Keagan sighed exasperatedly. "What he means is do you like Makoto?"

"Like as in like how you like Minako or like as in a friend or person?"

"Like as in how I like Minako," he said, nodding.

Nate colored a bit. "Well, I never thought about it. Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question first," Mamoru practically demanded.

He thought a bit at how he felt when he was around her, the respect he felt for what she had done when they had just been released him from Beryl's control. "I…I do."

"Then why don't you ask her out?" asked Jason.

"What if she doesn't like me like that? I don't want to destroy what we DO have."

"Look, Nephrite," Jason said seriously and sat down next to him, "you'll have to take your chances. Look at me and Rei; if I hadn't chanced it to come to her school to pick her up, we would never have become friends and we may never have had this relationship that I don't want to think about living without."

"But you and her are different than me and Makoto," he protested.

"How are you so different from them?" asked Mamoru simply.

Nate opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out, no good reason. Only stupid and weak excuses. "I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Good," Zale said, "now I suggest we go back to bed because I'm STILL tired."

Good-natured laughter filtered between them and slowly they moved back to their separate bedrooms. _Yes, Mamoru was right, Nate thought as he fell asleep, _the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.__

End Chapter 16.


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 17_

Makoto couldn't tell if she was pleasantly surprise or shocked when Nate came by her apartment early the next morning, while she was still practically asleep, and asked her for a date. It was a little fuzzy, but she still remembered most of it, at least the important parts.

The banging on the door (to her ears anything above a tap was banging) dragged her from the blissfulness of sleep. She had been so exhausted that she hadn't had trouble sleeping as she had before. Perhaps all she needed to do was work herself so hard that she was worn out every night.

She stumbled to the door and opened it, with an eye shut to avoid the light streaming in through her pale green curtains. "What?" she managed to grunt out.

"Mako-chan?"

She blinked; it was the first time he had ever called her 'Mako-chan' instead of Makoto. Was it truly as important enough to call her by her nickname?  
  


"Yeah?"

"Would you…consider having dinner with me tonight?"

Makoto rubbed her gritty eyes and leaned on the doorframe. Was he asking her out on a date? She certainly couldn't remember a time when having dinner with someone entailed anything else but a date.

"Sure."

"Great!" He smiled like the sun.

Now, at any normal time she would be basking in that rare smile or melting before it. Right then, it nearly blinded her and she wanted to crawl back into the darkness for more sleep. She blinked and muttered, "What time is it?"

"9:00," he promptly responded, confused about the question.

"A.m. or p.m.?"

"A.m."

"Oh, that's nice. See you at 10:00 p.m. tomorrow night. I'm going back to sleep."

He laughed and it drew her a little away from the tiredness that burned away at her sandy eyes. 

"You always make me laugh, Mako-chan. I'll never forget that about you."

"You make it sound like I'm going to die."

And then Nate was no longer smiling or laughing. "You may at that. We all may at that."

That brought her straight up from sleepy land and to the land of the living. She gripped her henshin wand and said, "What happened, Nate?"

"I'm worried about Beryl; I know her. She won't wait forever to attack. The stars told me to prepare because she will attack soon."

"When?" she asked sharply.

"They didn't say."

Makoto slowly stowed her henshin wand back in her subspace pocket and motioned him inside. "Wait here until I'm dressed."

When she pulled on her green shirt, she realized suddenly that it was Thursday and on Thursday, school was in session.

"OH MY GOD!!"

She barreled out of her bedroom at high speed, pulling on her skirt and grabbing her bag.

"What is it, Makoto?" Nate demanded, alarmed.

"I am SO DEAD! It's nine! I'm supposed to be at school by 7:30 at the latest! I have to go!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back in the apartment. "None of the other girls are going to school today. They got up at the regular time, made out of the house as if they were going, and then we picked them up and brought them to our place for some more sleep. They were dead tired. You went to sleep early when you got home from school, but they didn't. As long as the school doesn't say anything to their parents about missing it today, they're fine. Besides, it's way too late to even think about going. If you go now, you'll just be as tired or more so than before and if we need you for a battle, you won't be in any shape to fight."

She had to hand it to his logic that it was unassailable. She sighed. "This isn't doing any good for my school record, but all right." She set down her bag and now that her adrenaline was over, she was feeling as if she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Come over to our place with the other girls. You can sleep a little more there," he pleaded.

Makoto yawned. "Okay."

She fell asleep in the car and Nate found himself in the rather pleasing situation of carrying her up the stairs. Worry was evident on his friends' faces when he showed up with her in his arms, but he waved it away, explaining she was just asleep. They noticed her school uniform on and he gave a wry grin.

When she was settled in Nate's room, the other rooms taken up by the counterparts of the Shitennou, he joined his friends, who were talking quietly in the living room.

"Did you ask her?" questioned Zale, curious.

"Yes."

"What did she say?" prompted Jason.

"Yes."

"Makin' some good strides," the short blonde commented.

"Be careful wherever you might be today," Nate warned suddenly. "I have a bad feeling right now and I think it would be best for all concerned if we watch our step. Beryl won't wait much longer."

"We know that; she's definitely not the patient type," Zale observed.

"How are the girls?"

"Tired as all hell," Mamoru told him. "They barely even move in their sleep."

"All right, Endymion," Keagan said, deliberately using his Silver Millennium, his Prince name. "It is time to tell us what happened to you when you were growing up in this life. We know nothing about you now and we want to know you as a friend in this age and not just in the past."

Mamoru, taken aback and looking somewhat hurt, leaned back in his chair and looked out the window to the sea of buildings that was Tokyo. "When I was little, my parents of this time died in a car accident. They said it was a miracle I survived. I wasn't even sure what my name was, but I survived through all the orphanages and a few foster homes that they put me through. When I met up with Usagi-tachi* I remembered about the Silver Millennium, but not when I was younger, but I do know what happened to me when they died. That's why I know how Mako-chan feels right now because I felt it myself. I didn't have a family until Usagi came and I didn't have friends until the Senshi came. And I didn't have brothers until you came."

They remained silent for a moment, floored by the amount of depth of Mamoru's feelings for them. "So you forgive our betrayal, My Lord?" asked Keagan quietly.

"How could I not?" he responded, looking at the leader of his guards. "You are the closest thing that I have to a family and you are my brothers. I could never hold something against you."

"But we were the downfall of the Moon Kingdom, the Silver Millennium…the death of you and your princess," blurted out Jason contritely.

"That was a long time ago, Jadeite. It's over now."

And when they looked into Mamoru's royal blue eyes that were the same as Endymion's, they knew they had been completely forgiven and pardoned for their acts of crime in the past. And they knew no amount of words would ever begin to describe the gratitude and love they felt for their sovereign.

"Endymion…Mamoru…we promise you that we will do the best that we can to protect you and the princess. But you must promise us one thing," Nate said forcefully.

"What must I promise?"

"That if we die and you and the princess survive, that you live past us."

"What do you mean, Nephrite?" Mamoru asked, alarmed.

"Should we die, our only wish is that you do not mourn us forever. We want you to go on living your life and making the most of what our sacrifice went for. We want you to continue fighting, living, if we should perish. As our liege, as our friend, as our brother, you must promise us this. It is the only thing we will ever ask of you and we want you to hold to this promise."

Those wide blue eyes looked at each of his Shitennou and saw unwavering devotion, but above all, determination. "I promise. It will be difficult, so difficult that it will seem impossible, but I will try."

"No, do not try," Zale interrupted, "_do_."

Mamoru nodded, his eyes sad. "I promise. Why do you ask me this?"

"Despite the fact that we owe you and the princess a greater debt than we can repay and that we should be doing something asked of _us_, we ask you to do this. We don't want our entire existence to be a lie," Keagan told him gently.

"Your existence is not a lie!" the black-haired man blurted out forcefully.

"Then live as we asked and it won't be."

"I will always love you," he murmured to them.

"Thank you," whispered Jason quietly. "Your love and Rei's love is all I ever wanted. Should I have those, whenever I die, which I hope won't be for a long time to come, I will die peacefully. I will die happy."

"I hope that day won't be for a long time as well," Mamoru told him, gripping his hand tightly.

"I wish I had had a video camera," sniffled a female voice from behind them. "That was so sweet and so deep."

The men whirled around to see the five girls in various doorways peeking out and wiping eyes. It had been Minako that had spoken.

"Truly. I mean, normally male bonding makes me gag, but this was a special male bonding that didn't have to have completely vulgar things in it," commented Rei wistfully.

"Why were you listening? This was supposed to be between us and the Prince," Zale said darkly.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist," Makoto told him, not ungently. "We didn't mean to listen in, but don't tell me you wouldn't have listened in if the positions were reversed."

"You got to give her that, Zale," Jason told him, watching as the thunderclouds of resentment blew away from the pale blonde's face.

"Well now that that's over with," Usagi said, "it's time to relax a bit."

She walked over and promptly plopped herself down in Mamoru's lap. He looked amused, but otherwise didn't react. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head into the crook of his shoulder.

"They look so kawaii together, don't you think?" whispered Minako to Keagan, a little too loudly.

Keagan raised his eyebrow as he looked at the two royals and to all's astonishment, said, "Yes, they do."

Usagi blushed bright red, but smiled anyway. Mamoru shook his head in wonderment at his leading King. Jason and Zale burst out laughing at his indignant 'What?'

But Nate was too worried about what the stars had told him the night before to really join in with the relaxed atmosphere. He wanted to demand more information from them, wanted to know more, but if he pushed for the information, they would simply draw back from him with what little they HAD told him.

"What's the matter?" whispered a deep voice in his ear.

Her words rustled his hair slightly and he breathed in her scent deeply. Yes, he had to admit he felt something deep and profound for that brown-haired Senshi. She was everything he thought could never be in a woman. If the Dark Kingdom had had people like her as youma, they would have conquered the entire universe by now, but if they did have her as youma, then they wouldn't have done any fighting at all.

He smiled at her and hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders. She looked at him in surprise, but leaned against his side all the same. Nate looked back out the window and said quietly, "I'm worried, is all."

"I thought that was Keagan's job," she commented.

Their conversation was low, the talk from the others drowning their words out to them.

"It's everyone's job."

They stayed silent for a time, watching the city of Tokyo move on about its business, never knowing that it should be cowering in fear from the soon-to-be-launched attack by Beryl and her dreaded queen, Metallia.

"Are we still on for dinner tonight?"

Nate looked down at her and smiled, the only real smile he had had that day other than when she had agreed to the date in the first place.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

End Chapter 17.

* -tachi. Okay, I found this on a site that I went to. We all know that –chan and –san and –kun and all about those and what they mean. Well, it said that –tachi meant like, talking about a group of people. If I used it with Usagi-tachi, it would mean Usagi and the others with her (most of the time talking about the Inner Senshi, who I was referring to in the fanfic). When I find the site, I'll let you know. If I can find it again.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 18_

Makoto debated between the long forest green dress with darker designs on the sides or the fairly short pale pink dress that sparkled. Her friends threw in helpful hints, but it ended up nearing twenty minutes until Nate picked her up and she still hadn't decided. 

"Mako-chan, you look great in both. Just pick one," Rei told her.

"But I can't!"

Minako stood up. "This always works for me. Close your eyes." Makoto did. Minako did a few switching of garments from one hand to the other and said, "Keep your eyes closed and pick the number one or two."

Makoto frowned. "Um…two."

"Open your eyes."

She did and Minako held out the green one. "You're wearing this."

The girls burst out laughing and Makoto managed to thank her blond haired friend for her help. It took less than two minutes to get in the dress and put her makeup on. It took longer, however, to do her hair because three of the four girls had different ideas on how it should be done.

Finally, Makoto decided to just let it down, though she tucked most of it behind her ear, much to the protestations of the three girls.

"Where do you think he'll take me?" she asked, suddenly unsure. "Do you think I dressed up too much?"

"Don't worry Mako-chan," Ami reassured her. "No matter what happens, I'm sure you'll have a good time. Isn't that more important than what you look like?"

"She's right," Usagi said. "He'll like you no matter what you wear."

Five tense minutes later, her doorbell rang. She opened it to see Nate in a good looking black tux. Pinned on the lapel was an emerald in the shape of a star. He smiled when he saw her.

"You look beautiful," he murmured.

Makoto blushed. "So do you."

He laughed and led her from the apartment on his arm, as if they were going to a ball instead of a restaurant.

"Nate?"

"Hmm?" he responded as they were in the car.

"Did the Shitennou have normal lives in this time before Beryl?" she blurted out.

He was silent for some time and she was afraid she had angered him until he spoke. His voice was barely above a whisper and he was a little wistful and more than sad. "Yes. I haven't told the others because I think it would be too much to bear."

"Don't they remember?"

"No. I remember feelings not really memories. Well, except one. The stars told me when Jason repeated that same question to us that Rei had asked him when they went on their first date. I think it would have been too hard to live through, knowing that no matter what we tried that we'd always fall in Beryl's hands so I didn't tell them. I begin to wonder if it isn't our Destiny to always somehow be pitted against the Senshi."

"That can't be!" Makoto told him forcefully. "If it was, then Destiny wouldn't have allowed us to heal you and bring you back."

"That is true," he murmured with a sad smile.

"What memory do you have?" she asked a few seconds later.

Nate laughed. "I think it was just before we were taken by Beryl. I remember playing in some snow and laughing. My parents came out to watch me and I tripped in a snow drift. I was covered in white and they were laughing. I ran to my mother and she picked me up as I shook off the snow. I think I was five then."

"Five and taken by Beryl?" she exclaimed. "I…"

"Don't worry about it, Mako-chan. It was a long time ago and I don't remember anything else," he lied smoothly to her. She seemed to believe him and moved on to another topic.

It wasn't that he wanted to lie to her, but he knew she would feel bad if she knew just how many memories that he had. The Shitennou had been taken when they had been twelve to fourteen, not five. He also knew that his friends remembered just as much as him about their born life. Eventually he knew he would have to admit to Makoto that he had lied to her, but not then. Not until Beryl had been dealt with severely.

He parked the car outside a pale gray building. It wasn't the one that he knew Jason took Rei. He helped Makoto out of the car as if they were back in the Silver Millennium, the only way to treat such a treasure as her: as a princess.

"I have reservations," he told the person at the podium.

"Ah, Mr. Hawkin. Yes, follow me."

They were taken to a table at the back and quickly ordered. He smiled, thinking of her reaction to watching them cook their food in front of them.

It was everything he had ever thought it would be. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she watched with fascination. She also kept up a stream of conversation, chef talk, that had the man with nearly tears of happiness in his eyes. 

When he had left, Makoto turned to Nate with shining eyes. "This place is wonderful!"

"I thought you might like it."

The dinner and a little dancing was like heaven to Nate. Being with Makoto was like nothing compared to anything he had ever experienced before and he knew he wanted to live his entire life with her.

However, time couldn't be stopped, but it could have given him a little more time, he thought resentfully later. They had been dancing on the dance floor when the sound of an explosion outside the building caught everyone's attention and curiosity. Automatically both their communicators started ringing in the emergency ring and he sighed.

They paid for their dinner and ran from the building. A portal in the sky signaled bad news as youma upon dozens of youma poured from it. Beryl had launched her offensive, and with a vengeance. Nate pulled Makoto into an alleyway to transform. 

Just as she moved to leave the darkness, he grabbed her arm and kissed her. "For luck and my love."

She blushed but kissed him back. "For luck and my love."

"Hope we can continue our date soon."

"Me too," she murmured as they burst from the alcove to fight.

The Senshi and Shitennou were fighting with all they had, but it was not nearly enough to cut down the thousands of youma that were there. Red light shined and Beryl appeared, her hair floating up in the air like a burning, blood red fire. Her fangs seemed to glow of their own volition and she laughed cruelly.

"Senshi, I can stop this now. Just give me the Ginzuishou."

"Not on your life," Jadeite responded immediately, tightly gripping his two maces.

She suddenly frowned at them. "You Shitennou are another matter entirely. I cannot forgive your desertion. You will pay dearly for that."

"Are you going to implement the punishment or try to talk us to death?" Zoisite said sarcastically, thrusting his spear into the heart of a youma. Wisely, all civilians remained inside and AWAY from all windows.

"Zoisite, you will be the first to go," she decided. "Attack!"  
  


Nephrite swung his axe in an arc that cut down five youma in front of him. Black and green blood coated his blade as he worked his way toward where the prince was fighting alongside the princess. 

Mercury cried out as she caught a glancing blow on her leg and the youma was immediately engulfed in a veritable flood of lightning. Jupiter made her way over to her injured comrade to see if she was all right. Mars had paralyzed the slower moving youma on their way to various targets and Kunzite and Venus were cutting down creature after creature with their swiftly moving swords. Nephrite joined Jadeite protecting the prince and princess. He could not see Zoisite at all in the throng and he began to grow worried.

Beryl laughed at them and said, "Your pitiful attempts are nothing at all compared to the force that is Queen Metallia! Surrender and I promise that your deaths won't be as painful as they will be if you continue to oppose our rule."

"You're not ruling anything yet and won't if I have anything to say about it!" screamed Mars. "Burning Mandala!"

The fire red rings flew towards Beryl and she screeched in surprise. She dodged and the most that happened was her hair was singed, but she didn't appreciate the attack. Mars gave her a sickly smile and saluted her with a middle finger raised.

The dark queen cried out in rage at their continued defiance. She raised her sphere-topped rod into the air and the sky went dark, almost as if someone had pushed a switch. But no switch could make that black cloud in the sky appear…

"Metallia," Sailor Moon whispered.

End Chapter 18.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 19_

Nephrite, in the lull, searched with his eyes for his friend Zoisite. But he couldn't find him at all. Where had he gone? Was he…was he dead? Beryl screeched again, this time in success.

"We have the power, the energy to release Metallia! Yes! The universe shall be ours!"

"Be careful Senshi, Shitennou," yelled Luna as she and Artemis came running up. "She is extremely dangerous. We have to stop her before she releases Metallia!"

"She already did, in case you hadn't noticed!" retorted Mars dryly.

"No, she isn't fully released yet," Mercury reported, typing furiously on her mini computer. "But if she does get fully released, it's all over and the Earth will fall like the Moon Kingdom."

Kunzite turned to Sailor Moon. "You have to use the crystal; seal Metallia away forever!"

"But I don't know how to use it fully yet! Mother knew and even she couldn't stop this!"

"Sailor Moon, do it!" screamed Venus. "Right now even with only half knowing how to use it is an advantage for us. If you don't use it at all, were ALL dead!"

The blond raised her Moon Wand in the air and slowly began to collect her power. The Senshi, Shitennou, and the prince turned to buy her some time.

It was as Nephrite was fighting that he spotted Zoisite. "Oh, gods no," he whispered and ran to the unmoving body. He searched frantically for a pulse and found a weak, beating thing. Zoisite's blond curls moved as he stirred. The other King managed to drag off the dead youma carcass and pull his friend to his feet.

It was at this time that the good side suffered their worst casualty yet and it nearly broke Sailor Moon.

Sailor Venus cried out in pain and fell, a spear of dark energy thrust into her stomach. She coughed up ruby red blood and fell to her knees. Kunzite caught her as she fell backwards.

"Protect the princess," she whispered and her eyes closed. Her breathing, shallow before, stopped altogether.

"MINAKO-CHAN!" Sailor Moon screamed with all her heart. Only Mars' hand on her wrist kept her from dropping the wand and the power she had collected to use against Metallia.

Kunzite, his face shocked and full of horror at his beloved's demise, slowly shut down and moved into stone mode. Nephrite had seen it often enough: he no longer felt as he fought, but just moved mechanically, slicing and killing with no heart. And it was worse than ever now because Venus WAS his heart, the one thing that had really helped him become human again. The one thing that had brought Keagan's memories of his newborn life back, the one before Beryl took them again, though she never knew it.

Nephrite stayed close to the injured Zoisite as he fought, weak and bleeding. Mercury was frantically punching numbers and using her fog to help them, but it wasn't doing much to turn the tide to their side.

Despite all his attempts to protect his friend, Zoisite went down next. And it was scalding, his guilt. He had been fighting back to back with him, for gods' sake! Yet he had been unable to fight for his friend. One hard hit at the back of his neck broke his spine and killed him instantly.

Thank all the gods that Mercury didn't know yet…or did she? Nephrite wasn't sure if she could have felt his death or not, but perhaps her increased sobs encompassed not only her Senshi Venus, but her lover as well.

Jadeite fought back to back with Endymion, who was no longer Tuxedo Kamen. Watching them, Nephrite remembered back in the Silver Millennium, how those two had always fought back to back when they had been together. Of course, Endymion had always fought back to back with someone, but the two that had fought with him like that the most had always been Jadeite and Kunzite.

Jupiter jumped in the air and brought her hands down, crossing, over her chest. "Supreme Thunder!"

Her lightning struck not only youma, but Beryl as well, jarring the evil woman's concentration. She managed to glower at her before she continued her chanting that would fully release Metallia.

Nephrite caught a bad blow to his side and he stumbled. Mars managed to catch him in time before he fell. He gave her a tired smile and the two fought their way back to the royals, the princess sobbing like her life was being leeched away from her.  

And perhaps it was. Her Senshi had been her life. Not because they had protected her, nothing as shallow as that. But because they had been around her, were her friends for so long, that they had become her life, her family. No matter how many incarnations that she might go through, there was always one fundamental truth about her existence that always remained: her friends _were_ her life.

Nephrite had just turned to Endymion when he felt a thin and sharp blade slide into his back. His eyes widened in shock and pain as he realized he was dying. Mars flambéed the youma, but could not stop his slow descent into death. Endymion caught him in his arms and the brown-eyed man looked up at his horrified prince.

"Remember…remember your promise," he gasped. "You promised us…you promised us your life."

"I promise I will," Endymion sobbed, his tears for another of his friends dying unabated.

Nephrite smiled at him. "Tell Jupiter…tell my star that I love her."

Endymion watched as the man stopped breathing and grew cold in his arms. Crying, he bent over the form as if he had been stabbed through the stomach with Kunzite's large sword.

A female scream jerked his attention to the battlefield.

"REI-CHAN!" his princess and his friend Jadeite screamed simultaneously.

He watched as Mars' body fell with a jagged slash across the front of her chest. She seemed to take her last breath looking at the teary-eyed blond and smiled. Then her eyes closed, her breath stopped.

Why did this have to happen this way? he asked himself. Why did all his friends have to die? And the Senshi were his friends too, not just the Shitennou. But the defenders were falling, one by slow one.

Mercury, a cry of frustration torn from her throat, tossed her computer away against a wall where it smashed. "Shabon Spray!" she screamed.

Her bubbles shot out in one stream surrounded by water toward Beryl. She caught it full in her chest, since her eyes were closed and she hadn't dodged. But the shock and pain of the attack jerked her eyes open. Something in the whirling vortex above her that was Metallia a black light shined and a shield formed over Beryl, protecting her from the onslaught of the Ice Senshi.

The dark queen's eyes glowed and a shaft of red light pierced the Senshi fuku. The blood spouting from Mercury's heart colored her blue outfit dark red down the front.

"AMI-CHAN!" Sailor Moon yelled again, the name broken up by her form-wracking sobs.

And then the only ones left were Jadeite, Kunzite, Jupiter, Sailor Moon, and Endymion. Kunzite looked to the Senshi and his fellow fighters. "Jadeite, Jupiter, listen to me. We have to help Sailor Moon get the power she needs. But to do what I propose, we must forfeit our lives."

"NO! Don't do that!"

Kunzite and the other two ignored Sailor Moon. Endymion couldn't get his voice to work, but even if he had, he would have remained silent. This was not something that could be decided by them.

"I'll do it," Jupiter said silently. Jadeite simply looked at his commanding officer.

"All right. Call upon your power and I will mine, while I capture the spirits of the rest of us still in the air. We'll transfer all our power to Endymion and he will give it to the princess. Understood?"

They nodded.

"Jupiter Power!"

"Fire of the Phoenix, aid me!" Jadeite barely managed to whisper his.

Kunzite pulled his power as he captured the lingering spirits of the fallen Senshi and Shitennou. Normally he wouldn't be able to do this, but there was one thing that not many people knew about Kunzite. He and Endymion were half-brothers, at least in the Silver Millennium. Endymion would have been able to do this because the souls of the warriors would go to the Earth and he was connected to the Earth. To some extent, because of their relationship, Kunzite could as well, but if he did do it, it would kill him, like it wouldn't for Endymion because Kunzite was only half. Kunzite's father had been from Jupiter, a passing dignitary that the Queen of Earth had had an affair with.

They came willingly to his power, anger and hatred toward Beryl and unwavering devotion and love for the princess. He found Venus' soul and she managed to give his psyche a kiss before fading away into pure power in his fist.

"Golden Dragon, guide me!" the silver-haired man cried out, the pain he was feeling laid bare for all to see.

Jupiter, Jadeite, and Kunzite glowed, their auras leaving them and engulfing Endymion. As soon as the power of all eight warriors were inside the prince, their bodies fell to the youma covered earth, devoid of all life.

Endymion felt the power and wrapped his arms around Sailor Moon's sobbing form. "Don't worry, love. They'll always be with us, forever."

She managed a nod. "I love you, you all. Beryl, you and Metallia are going to die! Forever! MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Beryl laughed at first when she saw the white power coming, but it died a sudden death when she realized it wasn't heading for her, but the black cloud in the sky behind her. 

"No! STOP! METALLIA!"

Metallia screamed in pain as that power slammed into her. Sailor Moon's form glowed white and then it became a strobe effect as Princess Serenity finally had control. The Ginzuishou's light washed over the street and the decayed and dusty bodies of the youma faded. The Shitennou and Senshi's bodies faded away in all the glory of their color and the returning sun as Metallia was pushed away.

The darkness that had covered the sky retreated and soon it dissipated like a storm cloud when the wind pushed it farther to some unknown destination.

Beryl screeched in outrage and fear, bringing the two royalty's attention to her. "Beryl, you will die now."

Endymion's voice was dead with no emotion, but Princess Serenity heard the underlying pain and sadness. She winced at her beloved's grief and felt it as her own, which it was, with her Senshi gone.

The white light cocooned Beryl around her shield which was breaking under the pressure. She pulled what little power she had and turned around to go back through the portal that had been behind her.

She stopped in a panic when she saw that the portal no longer existed. "NO! STOP!"

The white light shattered the sphere-shaped shield and swallowed her up in its purity. She screamed as it filled her lungs and invaded her system. Her blood began boiling and her skin steaming as if she was made of fire and ice cold water had been dumped on her.

She, too, faded away into a remaining storm cloud that was broken apart. Princess Serenity's formed flickered back to Sailor Moon and Endymion caught her as she fell back in his arms. He felt the power of the eight warriors leaving him with loving care and he felt his knees wanting to buckle.

Luna ran out to the two, her emotions vying for control. Artemis picked up the newly rebuilt computer of Mercury's and followed more slowly. Mamoru barely looked at it, barely registered the fact that the power of them must have put it back together. _As if Mercury would be coming back, he thought bitterly._

He picked up his love and made his way back the Hikawa Shrine before any civilians decided to come out of their homes.

Rei's grandfather was out in the yard, sweeping, when he came up the stairs, drenched in sweat and exuding grief. The broom fell to the ground and the man's eyes became wary. Yuuichirou stepped out of the shrine slowly.

"What happened…? Rei-chan…?" the old man stuttered.

Endymion's eyes overflowed with tears and he sobbed. "I'm sorry…she's dead." 

And Rei's grandfather crumpled to the floor. He seemed much older now, seemed like his age, without any of his vitality left now that his granddaughter was dead. Yuuichirou ran up to him, but nothing he said brought the old man back from his shocked and painful daze.

Sailor Moon sobbed into his shoulder and he felt as if nothing in the world had gone right.

"What about the others?" asked Yuuichirou shakily.

Endymion finally looked at him. "They're all dead now."

End Chapter 19.

Part 20 and epilogue is all that's left!!

I know the Shitennou didn't exactly call out henshin phrases, but I couldn't see them having one. What I did see was them calling on their Houses guardian (you know, the House you were born in back in the Silver Millennium would dictate their guardian over the family type stuff).


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Chapter 20_

It had been two days since the battle and Mamoru could see that Rei's grandfather was slowly declining into illness, which he knew would lead to the old man's death. But he knew he couldn't care less if he died, now that his granddaughter was dead.

His Usako had managed to call her mother and tell her that she was staying at the Shrine before crawling into Rei's bed and not moving from it for two days. Yuuichirou half-heartedly a few of the chores for the Shrine, but did not much else.

Luna was the worst. She was utterly distraught about her Senshi's deaths and her now drawn in charge's attitude. Artemis did nothing more than lay on the porch outside the Shrine for hours constantly, staring off into another world that only he could see and occasionally sighing at his thoughts or perhaps his memories. 

He had no idea what to tell Minako and Ami's parents. Minako's parents had called twice a day for the two days, and Ami's mother once a day, but none in the Shrine ever picked up the phone. They knew who they were on the line, and without something plausible to tell the families, Mamoru had no wish to talk to them.

Mamoru leaned on the post of the Shrine, just outside the door and looked at the shining sun. This wasn't like it was supposed to happen. Absentmindedly, he sent his psyche to talk to the Earth, hoping She could comfort him. Whether he had realized it or not, She had always taken care of Her prince whenever She could.

And through her comforting presence, he felt the Shitennou. He couldn't have been more shocked when Kunzite spoke to his spirit, admonishing him.

_//You promised us you would live if we died.//_

_//I am,//_ he protested.

_//No you're not,// _contradicted Zoisite, _//you're merely existing.//_

And then it came to him, the one question that was so simple to ask Her. He sent his psyche plummeting towards the heart of the Terran Spirit. _//Can you resurrect the Senshi and Shitennou?//_

_//Normally, my sweet child, no, but for you I might be able to. Since they were more than normal humans, possessing such magic as they do, I might be able to, but I cannot do it alone,//_ She warned. _//You must help. You have the connection to Me that you might be able to draw their spirits to you. While you do that, I might be able to give them life.//_

_//What will it cost me in return?// _Mamoru had watched too many movies and read too many books, been in too many battles, to not know that every move had a price, and the higher the move, the higher the price.

_//Nothing, since it is an ability, not magic. But depending on many times you have used your psyche ability will depend on how long it will take for them to make it back to you.//_

_//Psyche ability? I've never resurrected someone before at all!//_

_//Not resurrect, but talking with the spirits; doing anything that involves the psyche.//_

_//Please! Please, let's try!//_

_//All right, my child prince. We will try.//_

He gave an exultant cry, one so filled with happiness and joy that it drew five depressed people unwillingly to him.

"Mamo-chan? Are you all right?"

He turned to her sad and distraught face. "Usako! I can bring them back! The Senshi!"

She clutched her heart. "Don't say something like that again, Mamo-chan. That really hurt."

For once in his entire life, Mamoru ignored her. He ran to the middle of the walkway and thrust his arms to his sides, looking up at the sky. His psyche stretched out of the bonds of his body and reached out, touched each of his Shitennou and his beloved's Senshi.

When he touched them, a link formed, one lasting long enough to show them the way back to the living. There was shock, yes, that they could be brought back, but above all, overwhelming happiness to see their two friends again.

Mamoru's golden aura flickered around him as he concentrated, a smile plastered on his face and scaring the other five watchers near to death, thinking he had gone insane from grief.

And then he was done. The Earth had told him that She was doing Her part and that they would probably be there soon, but had no way of knowing when. Even that couldn't dampen Mamoru's spirit. He rushed and twirled Usagi around and around, tears of happiness falling from his eyes.

"What did you mean, Mamoru, when you said you could bring them back?" asked Rei's grandfather quietly.

He set his blond angel down and turned to the older man. "I can bring the Senshi back to life. I called their spirits and the Earth said She would do what She could. She said She didn't know when they would be back, but She said they would be."

"You can do that with anyone?"

"No, only with the Senshi and Shitennou because of what they are."

The five faces looked at him skeptically and moved away from him silently, none believing what he said.

Mamoru, for his part, waited eagerly each day for one of his friends. It was the next night that he had another believer to his cause.

Usagi slept fitfully, like she had been doing ever since the battle. She was terribly afraid Mamoru, the only reason she hadn't killed herself yet, had gone insane. Bring them back? Impossible.

She turned over and looked up. And saw a vision. She was surrounded by a red aura and her red dress fell around her in waves. It was Rei, in her princess dress!

"Usagi…" The voice sounded different, a wavering quality as if she was in and out of the spirit world.

"Rei-chan," she whispered, sobbing, "I wish you were here."

"Usagi, don't cry. I am here." The voice took on more substance and the red aura began to fade.

When it was gone completely, Usagi thought to see her friend gone as well, but she still knelt there, next to her own bed and watching her princess with compassionate eyes.

"REI-CHAN!!!"

Her scream was enough to wake the whole world. She thrust herself into her friend's arms, inadvertently tumbling them backward because of Rei's precarious balance on the tips of her toes.

And then the doorway was filled and when Rei turned, she saw her grandfather standing there, disbelief and tears in his eyes. Yuuichirou stood behind him, his jaw practically touching the floor in shock. Mamoru was behind them all, grinning like a world-class idiot.

"I got here first, since this is my home and I am the most spiritually inclined," she said to his implied question.

Usagi sobbed with happiness in Rei's arms and Rei looked down at her, noticing her princess dress. She mentally shrugged. Why not keep it? It was a nice dress and she could wear it on a date with Jason.

Luna and Artemis worked their way through the throng of legs, where the female cat promptly fainted in shock. Artemis looked around and asked, "Where is Minako-chan?"

"She isn't here yet. We will come in one by one. It takes a lot of time and energy to get here." She smiled and stood up, Usagi forced to let go or stand up with her. "Mamoru-san…thank you for bringing us back."

He had tears in his eyes. "You would think I wouldn't?"

"But that took a lot out of me, so I think I'll go to sleep now. Usagi, move over. What are you doing sleeping in my bed anyway?"

And she was back, that fiery princess, and Usagi laughed joyously. "I can't believe your back. I shouldn't have doubted you Mamo-chan."

"Let's get some sleep," Mamoru suggested and managed to lead the other dumbstruck males from the room.

Kunzite came back next, when they were eating breakfast and nearly scaring everyone half to death when he suddenly appeared with a silver aura around him and dressed like a prince of old. Mamoru jumped to his feet and enveloped him in a rib-breaking hug that left Kunzite breathless and no little shocked at his normally emotionally reserved prince.

They invited him to sit and eat breakfast with them and that was how it was until they were all back. They would pop up at the most unexpected times and scare some poor person half to death. 

Rei's grandfather had seemed to get his vitality and zest for life back when his granddaughter had shown up. Whenever the spirits would come, they would say something profound, compassionate, or serious, and then in a few minutes would be back to their normal personalities, be it cheerful, serious, or quiet.

After Kunzite came, it had been Ami, a full day later. She had shown up when Usagi had been in the bathtub, full to her chin with bubbles. A happy squeal announced her enjoyment that she was back. Ami had come out of the bathroom in her princess dress covered in bubbles and water. It appeared that Usagi had not cared about her nudity in the face of the resurrection of her friend. Ami had been blushing profusely when she had left and could barely accept the mini computer back from Mamoru's hand and knowing smile.

Nephrite had been next, two days later. They found him sitting in a tree at night, watching the stars. The cawing of the crows had drawn Rei from her sleep to calm them down and found the reason they were so upset. The man had plopped himself down in their tree, on their branch. She had sent him, brown/bronze aura and all, to Mamoru's room, who had been overjoyed to see him.

It hadn't been all that long, more like a day later, when Minako announced her presence. She had gracefully, practically glided up the stone stairs to where Usagi had been sitting, watching the horizon. The dying sun had bathed her already golden form into a bronze red color. 

"You did well against Beryl, Princess," was what she said first. Then she proceeded to squeal, "Usagi-chan, do you see this awesome dress?! I can't wait to wear it on a date with Keagan!"

For Keagan's part, hearing Minako's voice was like tossing cold water on a fire. He jumped and left the Shrine at top speed. When he saw her standing on the steps, gossiping like old with Usagi, his composure broke down and he actually cried when he saw her. It had been enough to send Minako and Usagi into shell shock, seeing the composed man weeping.

Jadeite had appeared in Rei's room at night, which had been vacated by Usagi for fear of death the day after Rei had gotten back. They had kissed passionately just before Rei's grandfather threw him from the room with a curse.

Oddly enough, Makoto and Zoisite arrived together, the last of the warriors to appear. They were chatting about nonsense things as they sat on the top of the stone archway above the stairs. They said they had waited an entire night, two days after Jadeite had come, for everyone to get up. When she had seen Usagi, Makoto still in her princess dress like the other Inners had shown up in, jumped down to bear hug her friend. Zoisite had shown up in his princely finery like the other Shitennou and embraced his prince, a little less wildly than Makoto did.

As soon as Ami and Minako had gotten back, they had been practically ordered by the residents of the Shrine to call their parents and inform them of where they had been. Of course, the 'where they had been' part had been left up to them.

Mamoru slowly reached out his psyche to the Earth. She responded sluggishly. 

_//Thank you for bringing my friends back,// _he told Her.

_//Thank yourself for doing what you did. But I am tired after that. I must sleep, but I will talk to you again, my dear sweet child-King.//_

Mamoru didn't understand until a long time later why She had called him king.

End Chapter 20.


	21. Epilogue

Author's Note: 

Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:

My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it. 

Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use **only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)**

_Hidden Truths_

_Epilogue_

When Rei left the school, she marched straight up to Jason's bike. He pulled his helmet off and she immediately kissed him in front of stunned nuns and student body. Jason couldn't care less who watched, only enjoyed the declaration kiss.

"I don't care if they saw," she whispered fiercely. "I will not hide our beautiful love from them because they can't do anything to me. I'm the Senshi of Fire."

He laughed and motioned for her to get on. She tied her hair back and did, wrapping her arms around his waist. They drove down the street, happy…

…That had been a long time ago, Rei thought as she walked down the halls of the Crystal Palace of Crystal Tokyo. Makoto and Nate had, of course, continued their interrupted date when things had calmed down a few days after their resurrection. Ami and Zale had admitted they were going out, and Minako told her parents that she and Keagan had been dating and she wouldn't stop.

"How're your ankles today, Rei-chan?" asked Ami as she came out of room lining the corridor.

Rei placed her hands on her swollen belly and groaned. "Horrible, but I'll live. Wait until you get as far along as I am."

Ami blushed to the roots of her hair. She was only two months pregnant, versus Rei's eight and a half. They were the only two Senshi left to have children. Makoto had had a boy early on and Minako two girls, one a small version of Minako and the other a small female version of Keagan.

Chibiusa, Usagi's child, ran past them followed by Luna and Artemis's child, Diana. 

"Wish I had that energy," commented Makoto as she joined them.

"Yeah, your son runs you ragged."

"Wait until you have yours, Rei-chan. You'll understand then."

Minako, ahead of them with her two girls hanging from her hands, opened the throne room door and smiled back at them. Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion talked with the four husbands when they entered.

Everything was different from that Tokyo night when Jadeite had knocked Sailor Moon down and she had woken up bleeding. Everything including a near millennium of peace when Crystal Tokyo had been established.

"Serenity, I have to thank you," Makoto commented as they reached the dais.

"For what? What have I done recently?" asked the silver blond in perplexity.

"Not what you have done recently," she corrected the queen with no amount of the normal reverence reserved for her by her subjects. "I have to thank you for blasting Nephrite at point blank range with your wand when you were 15. If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't have my son and my husband here now."

Serenity laughed. "At the time you all were yelling at me about it, saying he was too heavy to carry."

Nate's eyebrow rose. "You were claiming I was too heavy?"

"I didn't," his wife protested. "Rei-chan was the one who said you needed to lose some weight."

"Well right now, I'm not the one who needs to lose some weight."

The Inner Senshi grinned at each other as Rei stuck her tongue out at the brown-haired man. "It still is a miracle that she did that," Ami said thoughtfully. "If I only knew then what I know now…"

Minako commented, "Well, what _did we know then?"_

End Epilogue.

Hooray, the fanfiction is done! I can't believe it. I've finally finished it! Thanks for reading this far, though, guys!


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